Orbital Pictures Depict Iran's Navy and Nuclear Sites Struck by US-Israeli Military Action.

A wave of joint airstrikes has reportedly eliminated or harmed at least 11 warships belonging to Iran starting the weekend, new satellite images reveal, with launch facilities and atomic facilities also sustaining hits.

Pictures of the southern Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the headquarters of the Iranian navy, show smoke billowing from a number of ships on recent days.

Maritime Fleet Sustained Significant Losses

Among the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, the country's most sizable ship which had functioned as a drone carrier. Satellite images showed dark plumes emanating from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Intelligence evaluations state that at least a quintet of warships at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Pictures of the southern end of the port show plumes ascending from the Makran, while another pair of vessels appear to be damaged, with one of them seen burning.

Over at the Konarak base, images show numerous damaged ships, with analysis pointing to damage to six ships. Pictures taken on the start of the week also demonstrate that a number of structures at the installation have been leveled.

"For many years the Iranian regime has harassed global maritime traffic," an American commander stated. "Now, there is no vessel from Iran operational in the Arabian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will continue."

Some vessels reportedly sunk may have been hidden in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or targeted offshore, and have not been conclusively proven. Other accounts suggested that an Iranian vessel was going down off the coast of Sri Lankan territorial waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.

Rocket Installations and Nuclear Locations Attacked

Neutralizing Tehran's launch facilities and the prevention of enrichment activities were stated as other goals of the offensive. Satellite images also depicted impacts against the southern Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak air air base, where missile storage facilities and bunkers were targeted.

At the Choqa Balk-e drone unmanned aircraft site to the west of Kermanshah, extensive damage was identified to storage buildings, bunkers and drone launch equipment.

Impact was also observed at a radar installation at the Zahedan military airport in eastern Iran, near the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Of particular note, the new round of attacks have apparently focused on installations at the Natanz complex – long said to be at the core of the country's nuclear programme. The UN's atomic energy body said that the affected buildings were used for entry to the facility's underground nuclear plant and that "no nuclear fallout" was expected.

Wider Impact and Analysis

Observers indicated that the strikes appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iranian navy's ability to conduct traditional warfare using its most significant warships. But, it was stressed that Iran retains the capacity to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, mini-submarines and its so-called "shadow fleet" of oil ships.

The full extent of the damage caused to Iran's defense infrastructure remains unclear, with strikes reportedly ongoing. Imagery also reveals widespread damage to the command center of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city of Tehran.

Numerous of public facilities also appear to have been hit in the capital city and across the country since the conflict started. Reports of deaths from local officials suggest that many hundreds of non-combatants may have been killed in the strikes.

Amid continuing hostilities, review of aerial photographs will continue to document the changing battlefield picture.

Linda Mcgrath
Linda Mcgrath

A passionate tech enthusiast and writer with years of experience in reviewing cutting-edge gadgets and games.