Orbital Photographs Indicate Iran's Navy and Nuclear Sites Damaged by American and Israeli Military Action.

Multiple US and Israeli strikes has according to analysis sunk or crippled at least 11 Iran's navy ships starting the weekend, recently obtained orbital imagery show, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also being targeted.

Photographs of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which sits on the strategic Hormuz Strait and contains the main command of the Iran's naval force, reveal black smoke pouring from several ships on Monday and Tuesday.

Naval Assets Incurred Substantial Damage

Among the vessels destroyed was the IRINS Makran, Iran's most sizable ship which had been used as a drone carrier. Satellite images indicated dark plumes pouring from the vessel which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Intelligence assessments suggest that no fewer than five ships at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Pictures of the southern end of the harbor depict smoke emanating from the IRINS Makran, while another pair of ships appear to be harmed, with one clearly on fire.

Over at Konarak, images reveal numerous damaged vessels, with intelligence reports identifying strikes against a half-dozen warships. Photos from the start of the week also demonstrate that several buildings at the base have been leveled.

"For many years the Tehran government has harassed international shipping," a senior US military official stated. "Today, there is not a single vessel from Iran operational in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will persist."

Some vessels reportedly destroyed may have been hidden in satellite images by cloud or smoke, or targeted offshore, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Additional information stated that one Iranian ship was sinking near Sri Lanka's waters, resulting in a search and rescue mission.

Rocket Sites and Atomic Locations Targeted

The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the stopping nuclear weapons development were declared as other objectives of the air campaign. Satellite images also showed damage at the southern Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where rocket warehouses and fortifications were struck.

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

Impact was also noted at a surveillance station at the Zahedan military airport in eastern parts of the country, close to the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Of particular note, the new round of attacks have apparently focused on sites at the Natanz complex – widely believed to be at the core of the country's atomic program. A global monitoring agency commented that the damaged structures were used for entry to the facility's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was anticipated.

Wider Consequences and Analysis

Defense experts indicated that the attacks appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iran's naval ability to conduct standard operations using its most significant vessels. But, it was stressed that Iran retains the ability to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers.

The total extent of the destruction caused to Iranian military infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with hostilities reportedly ongoing. Photos also indicates considerable destruction to the main offices of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.

A large number of non-military structures also seem to have been damaged in the capital and throughout Iran since the conflict escalated. Toll estimates from inside Iran state that a high number of non-combatants may have been fatally injured in the bombardment.

Amid continuing hostilities, analysis of satellite imagery will carry on to track the unfolding scope of damage.