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Multiple joint strikes has allegedly eliminated or harmed at least 11 warships belonging to Iran since the weekend, freshly analyzed aerial photos reveal, with rocket sites and nuclear sites also sustaining hits.

Pictures of the southerly Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas installation, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the headquarters of the Iranian navy, reveal black smoke pouring from a number of warships on the start of the week.

Maritime Forces Sustained Major Losses

Among the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, Iran's most sizable ship which had served as a drone carrier. Aerial imagery displayed black smoke emanating from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Analytical reports suggest that at least five ships at the port were "struck or destroyed". Imagery of the south end of the harbor depict plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while another pair of vessels seem to be harmed, with a single one clearly on fire.

At Konarak, images reveal numerous damaged ships, with expert review identifying strikes against a half-dozen warships. Images taken on the start of the week also indicate that a number of structures at the base have been demolished.

"For a long time the Tehran government has threatened commercial vessels," a senior US military official said. "Now, there is not a single vessel from Iran underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will persist."

A number of ships allegedly destroyed may have been concealed in aerial photos by cloud or smoke, or struck at sea, and have not been conclusively proven. Other accounts stated that an Iranian vessel was foundering off the coast of Sri Lanka's territorial waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.

Missile Sites and Nuclear Facilities Targeted

The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the prevention of nuclear weapons development were stated as other objectives of the military strikes. Aerial imagery also revealed impacts against the southerly Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where rocket warehouses and fortifications were struck.

At the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site west of the city of Kermanshah, significant destruction was seen to storage buildings, bunkers and UAV launching apparatus.

Impact was also observed at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern Iran, near the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Of particular note, the new round of strikes have reportedly targeted sites at the Natanz complex – considered at the core of the country's nuclear programme. A global monitoring agency said that the affected buildings were used for access to the facility's underground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was likely.

Wider Impact and Assessment

Defense experts indicated that the attacks appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's capability to conduct standard operations using its largest warships. Nevertheless, it was stressed that Tehran maintains the option to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.

The overall scope of the destruction caused to Iran's defense infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with attacks reportedly ongoing. Imagery also shows considerable destruction to the command center of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the capital Tehran.

A large number of non-military structures also are reported to have been damaged in the capital city and throughout Iran after the fighting started. Casualty figures from ground sources indicate that many hundreds of civilians may have been lost their lives in the strikes.

As the situation develops, analysis of satellite imagery will continue to assess the unfolding scope of damage.