Orbital Photographs Reveal Iranian Naval Forces and Atomic Sites Hit by Joint US and Israeli Military Action.

Multiple US and Israeli airstrikes has according to analysis destroyed or damaged no fewer than eleven Iranian naval vessels starting the weekend, new aerial photos show, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also being targeted.

Pictures of the southerly Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas installation, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and houses the main command of the Iran's naval force, reveal black smoke pouring from a number of ships on the start of the week.

Naval Fleet Sustained Significant Losses

Included in the vessels destroyed was the Makran, the country's most sizable ship which had been used as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Aerial imagery showed dark plumes rising from the ship which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base.

Analytical reports state that no fewer than five ships at the port were "struck or destroyed". Imagery of the southern end of the port reveal smoke rising from the Makran, while two other vessels seem to be damaged, with a single one clearly on fire.

Over at the Konarak base, images display multiple damaged ships, with expert review identifying damage to six vessels. Pictures taken on the start of the week also show that a number of buildings at the installation have been demolished.

"For many years the Iranian regime has disrupted commercial vessels," the head of US Central Command said. "Today, there is no Iranian ship underway in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will not stop."

A number of ships reportedly sunk may have been hidden in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or targeted offshore, and have not been independently verified. Additional information indicated that one Iranian ship was going down off the coast of Sri Lankan territorial waters, resulting in a search and rescue mission.

Missile Bases and Nuclear Facilities Attacked

Neutralizing Tehran's launch facilities and the hindering of enrichment activities were listed as further objectives of the offensive. Aerial imagery also showed strikes on the southern Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak base, where missile storage facilities and fortifications were hit.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone drone base west of the city of Kermanshah, extensive destruction was observed to sheds, bunkers and UAV launching apparatus.

Impact was also observed at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern parts of the country, near the frontier with neighboring nations.

Significantly, the latest wave of attacks have apparently focused on installations at the Natanz complex – considered at the center of Iran's nuclear programme. The UN's atomic energy body said that the damaged structures were used for entry to the facility's underground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was anticipated.

Broader Fallout and Analysis

Observers stated that the strikes appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iranian navy's capacity to sustain traditional warfare using its biggest vessels. However, it was emphasised that Iran retains the capacity to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of drones, small submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.

The total extent of the damage caused to Iranian military infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with strikes reportedly ongoing. Pictures also indicates considerable damage to the command center of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.

A significant number of civilian buildings also seem to have been hit in the capital and across the country since the conflict started. Reports of deaths from ground sources indicate that a high number of non-combatants may have been lost their lives in the bombardment.

Amid continuing hostilities, review of aerial photographs will continue to assess the changing scope of damage.