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A series of US and Israeli strikes has allegedly eliminated or harmed no fewer than 11 Iranian naval vessels since the weekend, freshly analyzed orbital imagery show, with missile bases and enrichment plants also coming under fire.

Images of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which sits on the strategic Hormuz Strait and houses the headquarters of the Iranian navy, reveal black smoke pouring from multiple ships on recent days.

Naval Forces Sustained Major Damage

Among the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, Iran's largest naval vessel which had been used as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Aerial imagery indicated black smoke pouring from the ship which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base.

Intelligence reports state that at least five ships at Bandar Abbas were "hit or sunk". Imagery of the south end of the port reveal smoke rising from the Makran, while two other vessels appear to be damaged, with a single one visibly ablaze.

At the Konarak base, images display multiple damaged ships, with analysis pointing to impacts on a half-dozen warships. Photos taken on the start of the week also show that several facilities at the base have been leveled.

"For decades the Iran's leadership has disrupted international shipping," the head of US Central Command stated. "Now, there is not a single vessel from Iran at sea in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."

Some vessels allegedly destroyed may have been concealed in satellite images by haze or plumes, or targeted offshore, and have not been independently verified. Other accounts indicated that a ship from Iran was foundering near Sri Lankan waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.

Rocket Bases and Nuclear Locations Attacked

Eliminating Iranian missile bases and the stopping enrichment activities were listed as further objectives of the offensive. Aerial imagery also depicted impacts against the southern Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where missile storage facilities and bunkers were hit.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e UAV facility west of Kermanshah, widespread damage was observed to storage buildings, bunkers and drone launch equipment.

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

Perhaps most notably, the most recent series of attacks have apparently hit installations at Natanz – long said to be at the center of Iran's enrichment efforts. The UN's atomic energy body commented that the damaged structures were used for entry to the facility's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no radiological consequence" was expected.

Broader Impact and Assessment

Defense experts indicated that the offensive appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iranian navy's capability to sustain standard operations using its largest warships. However, it was emphasised that Tehran maintains the capacity to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "clandestine network" of tankers.

The full scope of the damage caused to Iranian military infrastructure is still uncertain, with attacks said to be continuing. Imagery also reveals extensive damage to the main offices of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city of Tehran.

A significant number of non-military structures also appear to have been struck in the capital and across Iran after the hostilities began. Reports of deaths from local officials state that a high number of civilians may have been killed in the attacks.

Amid continuing hostilities, review of aerial photographs will continue to assess the changing battlefield picture.