🔗 Share this article Aerial Imagery Reveal Iran's Naval Forces and Atomic Sites Hit by Joint US and Israeli Strikes. A wave of joint strikes has allegedly sunk or crippled no fewer than 11 Iran's navy ships since Saturday, freshly analyzed orbital imagery demonstrate, with rocket sites and nuclear sites also sustaining hits. Images of the southern Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas port installation, which overlooks the strategic Hormuz Strait and is home to the main command of the Iran's naval force, reveal smoke billowing from multiple vessels on recent days. Naval Fleet Sustained Major Losses Among the ships sunk was the IRINS Makran, Iran's largest naval vessel which had functioned as a drone carrier. Satellite images showed black smoke pouring from the vessel which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas base. Intelligence evaluations indicate that at least five ships at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Pictures of the southern part of the harbor show plumes ascending from the Makran, while another pair of vessels appear to be impacted, with a single one visibly ablaze. At Konarak, photos display numerous stricken vessels, with expert review pointing to impacts on a half-dozen warships. Images from Monday also indicate that multiple structures at the installation have been demolished. "For a long time the Iranian regime has harassed global maritime traffic," a senior US military official declared. "Now, there is no Iranian vessel operational in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will persist." A number of vessels reportedly sunk may have been obscured in satellite images by haze or plumes, or struck at sea, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Other accounts indicated that one Iranian ship was going down near Sri Lanka's territorial waters, resulting in a rescue operation. Missile Bases and Nuclear Facilities Targeted The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the hindering of nuclear weapons development were listed as additional goals of the offensive. Aerial imagery also depicted strikes on the southern Khorgu and north-western Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were targeted. At the Choqa Balk-e drone base to the west of the city of Kermanshah, extensive damage was identified to warehouses, bunkers and unmanned aircraft systems. Damage was also observed at a radar site at the Zahedan military airport in eastern parts of the country, close to the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan. Perhaps most notably, the latest wave of attacks have reportedly focused on sites at the Natanz complex – widely believed to be at the center of Iran's enrichment efforts. A global monitoring agency said that the damaged buildings were used for access to the facility's underground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was anticipated. Wider Consequences and Assessment Observers suggested that the offensive appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iranian navy's ability to carry out traditional warfare using its most significant warships. Nevertheless, it was noted that Iran still has the option to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, mini-submarines and its so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers. The overall scale of the damage caused to Iran's defense facilities remains unclear, with attacks reportedly continuing. Pictures also reveals widespread destruction to the headquarters of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city of Tehran. Numerous of non-military structures also are reported to have been struck in the capital city and across the country after the conflict escalated. Casualty figures from local officials suggest that many hundreds of non-combatants may have been fatally injured in the bombardment. As the situation develops, review of aerial photographs will carry on to track the unfolding military landscape.