Orbital Pictures Show Iranian Navy and Nuclear Facilities Targeted by US-Israeli Airstrikes.
A wave of joint strikes has according to analysis eliminated or harmed at least 11 Iran's navy ships since Saturday, recently obtained satellite images show, with missile bases and nuclear sites also sustaining hits.
Pictures of the southern Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas facility, which overlooks the strategic Hormuz Strait and houses the main command of the Iranian navy, depict plumes of smoke rising from several vessels on Monday and Tuesday.
Maritime Assets Incurred Significant Damage
Among the ships sunk was the Makran, the country's biggest warship which had functioned as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Aerial imagery indicated black smoke pouring from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base.
Intelligence reports suggest that at least five vessels at the port were "struck or destroyed". Imagery of the south end of the port reveal plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while two other ships are visibly impacted, with a single one clearly on fire.
At Konarak, images reveal several damaged ships, with analysis identifying impacts on a half-dozen warships. Pictures taken on Monday also indicate that multiple buildings at the base have been demolished.
"For many years the Iran's leadership has harassed international shipping," the head of US Central Command said. "At present, there is not a single Iranian vessel operational in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will continue."
Some ships allegedly destroyed may have been concealed in aerial photos by cloud or smoke, or targeted offshore, and have not been independently verified. Additional information stated that an Iranian vessel was foundering near Sri Lankan territorial waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.
Missile Sites and Nuclear Facilities Targeted
The destruction of Tehran's launch facilities and the stopping atomic bomb programs were listed as further objectives of the air campaign. Aerial imagery also showed strikes on the southern Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air air base, where missile storage facilities and fortifications were struck.
Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone UAV facility to the west of Kermanshah, extensive damage was seen to sheds, underground facilities and UAV launching apparatus.
Destruction was also seen at a radar installation at the Zahedan military airport in eastern Iran, close to the frontier with neighboring nations.
Significantly, the latest wave of strikes have apparently focused on installations at the Natanz complex – considered at the heart of Iran's enrichment efforts. A global monitoring agency said that the damaged structures were used for entry to the site's underground nuclear plant and that "no nuclear fallout" was anticipated.
Wider Fallout and Assessment
Defense experts suggested that the offensive appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iranian navy's capacity to conduct conventional attacks using its most significant vessels. Nevertheless, it was emphasised that Iran maintains the option to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of drones, mini-submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.
The full scale of the damage caused to Iran's defense facilities is still uncertain, with hostilities reportedly persisting. Photos also indicates considerable destruction to the main offices of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the capital Tehran.
A significant number of civilian buildings also appear to have been struck in the capital and throughout the country after the fighting began. Reports of deaths from local officials suggest that many hundreds of civilians may have been fatally injured in the bombardment.
As the situation develops, review of satellite imagery will persist to assess the evolving scope of damage.