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Multiple American and Israeli airstrikes has reportedly eliminated or harmed at least 11 Iranian naval vessels since the weekend, recently obtained orbital imagery demonstrate, with missile bases and enrichment plants also being targeted.

Photographs of the southern Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas port installation, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz and houses the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, depict black smoke pouring from a number of vessels on recent days.

Maritime Fleet Incurred Major Damage

Included in the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had functioned as a drone carrier. Satellite images indicated dark plumes rising from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Intelligence evaluations indicate that no fewer than five ships at Bandar Abbas were "damaged or eliminated". Imagery of the south end of the harbor show smoke rising from the IRINS Makran, while additional vessels are visibly impacted, with one seen burning.

Over at the Konarak base, photos reveal multiple stricken ships, with intelligence reports pointing to damage to six ships. Images taken on the start of the week also indicate that multiple buildings at the base have been leveled.

"For a long time the Tehran government has threatened international shipping," a senior US military official said. "Today, there is not one Iranian vessel operational in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."

Some vessels reportedly sunk may have been concealed in satellite images by cloud or smoke, or hit in open waters, and have not been conclusively proven. Separate reports indicated that one Iranian ship was sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka's territorial waters, prompting a rescue operation.

Missile Bases and Atomic Locations Targeted

The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the stopping atomic bomb programs were declared as further goals of the military strikes. Satellite images also depicted damage at the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were struck.

At the Choqa Balk-e UAV facility to the west of the city of Kermanshah, widespread destruction was identified to sheds, bunkers and UAV launching apparatus.

Damage was also noted at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern Iran, near the frontier with neighboring nations.

Significantly, the new round of attacks have apparently targeted sites at the Natanz complex – long said to be at the center of Iran's enrichment efforts. The UN's atomic energy body stated that the damaged buildings were used for entry to the facility's underground nuclear plant and that "no nuclear fallout" was expected.

Wider Impact and Analysis

Defense experts stated that the attacks appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iranian navy's capacity to carry out standard operations using its biggest warships. However, it was emphasised that Iran retains the ability to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of drones, small submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of tankers.

The total scale of the destruction caused to Iranian military infrastructure remains unclear, with hostilities reportedly continuing. Imagery also indicates extensive destruction to the main offices of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.

A large number of public facilities also appear to have been struck in the capital city and across the country after the fighting escalated. Casualty figures from ground sources suggest that a high number of civilians may have been killed in the bombardment.

With the conflict ongoing, monitoring of aerial photographs will continue to assess the changing military landscape.