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A series of joint strikes has reportedly sunk or crippled no fewer than 11 warships belonging to Iran starting Saturday, recently obtained aerial photos demonstrate, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also sustaining hits.

Photographs of the southern Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas port installation, which is located on the strategic Hormuz Strait and contains the headquarters of the Iranian navy, depict black smoke pouring from a number of warships on recent days.

Naval Assets Incurred Substantial Losses

Among the ships sunk was the Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had been used as a drone carrier. Orbital photos showed dark plumes pouring from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Analytical evaluations indicate that at least a quintet of warships at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Photos of the south end of the port depict smoke emanating from the Makran, while two other ships are visibly damaged, with one clearly on fire.

Over at Konarak, images reveal several harmed vessels, with analysis identifying damage to six vessels. Photos taken on the start of the week also demonstrate that a number of buildings at the installation have been leveled.

"For many years the Iran's leadership has threatened commercial vessels," a senior US military official declared. "At present, there is not one Iranian vessel at sea in the Arabian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will continue."

Some ships reportedly destroyed may have been hidden in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or struck at sea, and have not been independently verified. Other accounts indicated that a ship from Iran was foundering near Sri Lankan territorial waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.

Missile Installations and Nuclear Locations Attacked

Neutralizing Iranian missile bases and the stopping enrichment activities were declared as further goals of the air campaign. Satellite images also showed strikes on the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were hit.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site west of the city of Kermanshah, significant destruction was seen to storage buildings, bunkers and unmanned aircraft systems.

Damage was also seen at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase in eastern parts of the country, near the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Significantly, the latest wave of attacks have reportedly targeted installations at the Natanz complex – considered at the core of Iran's atomic program. The UN's atomic energy body stated that the damaged structures were used for entry to the facility's underground enrichment facility and that "no radiological consequence" was expected.

Broader Impact and Assessment

Observers stated that the strikes appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iranian navy's capacity to conduct conventional attacks using its biggest warships. Nevertheless, it was emphasised that Iran retains the ability to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.

The total extent of the destruction caused to Iranian military facilities is still uncertain, with hostilities said to be ongoing. Pictures also reveals extensive destruction to the command center of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city of Tehran.

A significant number of public facilities also seem to have been damaged in the capital city and across Iran after the fighting started. Casualty figures from local officials suggest that a high number of non-combatants may have been lost their lives in the attacks.

Amid continuing hostilities, review of satellite imagery will continue to assess the evolving battlefield picture.