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A series of American and Israeli attacks has reportedly sunk or crippled at least 11 Iran's navy ships starting the weekend, recently obtained orbital imagery demonstrate, with rocket sites and nuclear sites also being targeted.

Photographs of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which overlooks the strategic Hormuz Strait and contains the main command of the Iranian navy, depict black smoke pouring from a number of ships on recent days.

Maritime Forces Sustained Major Damage

Among the vessels destroyed was the Makran, the country's largest naval vessel which had been used as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Satellite images showed black smoke emanating from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base.

Intelligence reports indicate that at least five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Photos of the south end of the harbor depict smoke rising from the IRINS Makran, while two other ships seem to be damaged, with one seen burning.

At Konarak, images display several damaged vessels, with analysis pointing to impacts on a half-dozen warships. Photos from the start of the week also indicate that multiple structures at the installation have been demolished.

"For a long time the Iranian regime has threatened international shipping," a senior US military official stated. "Today, there is no Iranian ship at sea in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."

A number of vessels allegedly sunk may have been concealed in aerial photos by haze or plumes, or hit in open waters, and have not been independently verified. Other accounts stated that a ship from Iran was sinking off the coast of Sri Lankan territorial waters, resulting in a rescue operation.

Missile Bases and Nuclear Facilities Targeted

The destruction of Iranian missile bases and the prevention of nuclear weapons development were listed as further aims of the air campaign. Aerial imagery also showed damage at the southerly Khorgu and north-western Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak air air base, where missile storage facilities and bunkers were targeted.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone drone base to the west of the city of Kermanshah, significant destruction was seen to storage buildings, underground facilities and UAV launching apparatus.

Destruction was also noted at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern Iran, close to the border with neighboring nations.

Of particular note, the new round of strikes have reportedly targeted sites at Natanz – considered at the center of the country's nuclear programme. The UN's atomic energy body commented that the damaged structures were used for access to the site's underground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was anticipated.

Wider Consequences and Analysis

Defense experts stated that the strikes appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's capacity to conduct conventional attacks using its largest vessels. Nevertheless, it was noted that Iran retains the ability to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of drones, mini-submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of tankers.

The full scope of the destruction caused to Iran's defense infrastructure remains unclear, with attacks reportedly continuing. Photos also reveals widespread damage to the main offices of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the capital Tehran.

A large number of public facilities also appear to have been hit in the capital city and across Iran since the conflict began. Casualty figures from local officials indicate that hundreds of civilians may have been killed in the strikes.

Amid continuing hostilities, monitoring of aerial photographs will persist to track the changing scope of damage.