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A series of joint strikes has according to analysis destroyed or damaged a minimum of 11 warships belonging to Iran since the weekend, recently obtained satellite images show, with missile bases and enrichment plants also being targeted.

Photographs of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas port installation, which overlooks the strategic Hormuz Strait and is home to the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, reveal smoke billowing from a number of vessels on recent days.

Maritime Fleet Incurred Substantial Damage

Included in the targets eliminated was the Makran, the country's largest naval vessel which had functioned as a drone carrier. Orbital photos displayed dark plumes emanating from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Intelligence evaluations suggest that at least five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "hit or sunk". Photos of the southern part of the harbor reveal plumes ascending from the Makran, while another pair of vessels seem to be harmed, with one of them clearly on fire.

At Konarak, images show numerous harmed vessels, with expert review pointing to impacts on six ships. Photos from the start of the week also indicate that a number of structures at the installation have been leveled.

"For many years the Iranian regime has threatened international shipping," a senior US military official declared. "At present, there is not a single vessel from Iran at sea in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will persist."

Some ships reportedly destroyed may have been obscured in aerial photos by cloud or smoke, or struck at sea, and have not been independently verified. Additional information stated that an Iranian vessel was foundering off the coast of Sri Lanka's waters, resulting in a search and rescue mission.

Missile Bases and Atomic Locations Hit

Eliminating Iran's rocket sites and the hindering of enrichment activities were declared as other goals of the offensive. Aerial imagery also showed strikes on the southern Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were targeted.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone base to the west of the city of Kermanshah, extensive destruction was seen to sheds, bunkers and UAV launching apparatus.

Destruction was also noted at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase in eastern Iran, near the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Of particular note, the most recent series of attacks have reportedly targeted sites at Natanz – long said to be at the heart of the country's enrichment efforts. An international watchdog said that the damaged structures were used for access to the facility's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no radiological consequence" was likely.

Wider Impact and Assessment

Observers indicated that the strikes appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iran's naval ability to carry out conventional attacks using its largest vessels. However, it was noted that Iran still has the capacity to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of drones, small submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.

The total extent of the damage caused to Iranian military facilities has yet to be fully assessed, with strikes reportedly persisting. Imagery also indicates considerable destruction to the main offices of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.

A significant number of civilian buildings also seem to have been struck in the capital and throughout the country after the hostilities began. Reports of deaths from local officials indicate that hundreds of civilians may have been lost their lives in the strikes.

With the conflict ongoing, monitoring of aerial photographs will carry on to track the changing battlefield picture.