Satellite Imagery Reveal Iranian Navy and Nuclear Sites Struck by US-Israeli Military Action.

A series of joint airstrikes has allegedly sunk or crippled no fewer than 11 warships belonging to Iran starting Saturday, recently obtained orbital imagery reveal, with launch facilities and nuclear sites also coming under fire.

Photographs of the southern Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas facility, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, reveal black smoke pouring from a number of vessels on the start of the week.

Maritime Fleet Sustained Substantial Losses

Included in the targets eliminated was the Makran, the country's largest naval vessel which had served as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Satellite images indicated dark plumes pouring from the ship which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Intelligence assessments indicate that no fewer than a quintet of warships at the port were "hit or sunk". Photos of the southern end of the harbor depict smoke rising from the Makran, while another pair of ships seem to be damaged, with one of them clearly on fire.

Over at the Konarak base, images reveal several damaged vessels, with analysis identifying strikes against six vessels. Photos taken on Monday also indicate that a number of structures at the installation have been demolished.

"For decades the Iranian regime has disrupted commercial vessels," a senior US military official stated. "Today, there is not one Iranian vessel underway in the Arabian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will persist."

Some ships allegedly destroyed may have been hidden in satellite images by haze or plumes, or hit in open waters, and have not been conclusively proven. Additional information stated that an Iranian vessel was sinking near Sri Lanka's territorial waters, resulting in a rescue operation.

Missile Bases and Nuclear Facilities Hit

Eliminating Iranian missile bases and the stopping atomic bomb programs were declared as other goals of the air campaign. Satellite images also depicted strikes on the southerly Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak base, where rocket warehouses and fortifications were targeted.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone base to the west of the city of Kermanshah, significant damage was seen to sheds, bunkers and UAV launching apparatus.

Damage was also seen at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern Iran, close to the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Significantly, the latest wave of attacks have apparently focused on installations at Natanz – considered at the core of the country's atomic program. A global monitoring agency commented that the damaged structures were used for access to the site's underground enrichment facility and that "no nuclear fallout" was expected.

Broader Fallout and Assessment

Military analysts suggested that the attacks appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iran's naval ability to carry out traditional warfare using its largest warships. But, it was stressed that Tehran maintains the ability to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small submarines and its so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers.

The overall scope of the destruction caused to Iranian military infrastructure remains unclear, with strikes said to be persisting. Pictures also indicates widespread destruction to the headquarters of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.

A large number of public facilities also seem to have been struck in the capital and across the country after the conflict started. Casualty figures from local officials indicate that a high number of non-combatants may have been fatally injured in the attacks.

As the situation develops, analysis of aerial photographs will carry on to document the evolving military landscape.

Steven Marquez
Steven Marquez

Former casino manager turned gaming analyst, specializing in slot machine mechanics and responsible gambling practices.