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Multiple joint strikes has allegedly eliminated or harmed at least 11 warships belonging to Iran since the weekend, new aerial photos demonstrate, with missile bases and enrichment plants also being targeted.

Images of the southerly Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas facility, which is located on the strategic Hormuz Strait and contains the headquarters of the Iranian navy, reveal smoke billowing from several vessels on Monday and Tuesday.

Maritime Forces Sustained Substantial Damage

Among the vessels destroyed was the IRINS Makran, the country's most sizable ship which had been used as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Orbital photos showed thick smoke rising from the vessel which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.

Intelligence evaluations indicate that at least five ships at the port were "struck or destroyed". Photos of the southern part of the port show smoke rising from the Makran, while another pair of ships appear to be damaged, with one of them clearly on fire.

At Konarak, images display numerous harmed vessels, with expert review identifying impacts on a half-dozen warships. Pictures taken on Monday also indicate that multiple facilities at the base have been destroyed.

"For decades the Iran's leadership has disrupted international shipping," an American commander said. "At present, there is not a single Iranian ship operational in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will persist."

A number of vessels allegedly sunk may have been hidden in satellite images by haze or plumes, or struck at sea, and have not been conclusively proven. Other accounts suggested that an Iranian vessel was going down near Sri Lankan waters, prompting a search and rescue mission.

Rocket Installations and Nuclear Facilities Attacked

The destruction of Iranian missile bases and the prevention of nuclear weapons development were listed as additional goals of the air campaign. Satellite images also showed impacts against the southern Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where missile storage facilities and bunkers were struck.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e UAV facility to the west of the city of Kermanshah, widespread destruction was identified to storage buildings, underground facilities and unmanned aircraft systems.

Damage was also seen at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern parts of the country, close to the border with neighboring nations.

Perhaps most notably, the most recent series of strikes have apparently hit installations at Natanz – long said to be at the center of Iran's nuclear programme. A global monitoring agency said that the damaged structures were used for access to the facility's underground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was expected.

Wider Consequences and Analysis

Defense experts suggested that the offensive appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iranian navy's ability to conduct traditional warfare using its biggest warships. However, it was emphasised that Iran retains the ability to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of drones, small submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.

The total scale of the destruction caused to Iran's defense facilities remains unclear, with strikes said to be persisting. Imagery also reveals considerable damage to the command center of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.

A large number of non-military structures also appear to have been damaged in the capital city and across Iran since the hostilities began. Reports of deaths from local officials indicate that a high number of civilians may have been fatally injured in the bombardment.

As the situation develops, review of aerial photographs will persist to track the evolving battlefield picture.