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A wave of joint airstrikes has according to analysis destroyed or damaged no fewer than 11 warships belonging to Iran starting Saturday, recently obtained aerial photos show, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also being targeted.

Photographs of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the main command of the Iranian navy, depict smoke billowing from multiple vessels on Monday and Tuesday.

Maritime Fleet Incurred Major Damage

Included in the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had been used as a drone carrier. Orbital photos indicated black smoke rising from the ship which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Analytical assessments suggest that no fewer than five vessels at the port were "struck or destroyed". Pictures of the southern end of the port reveal smoke rising from the Makran, while another pair of vessels appear to be impacted, with one of them seen burning.

Over at Konarak, photos show numerous stricken vessels, with expert review identifying damage to six ships. Photos from the start of the week also demonstrate that several structures at the base have been leveled.

"For many years the Tehran government has harassed global maritime traffic," the head of US Central Command stated. "At present, there is no Iranian vessel at sea in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will continue."

Some vessels reportedly sunk may have been obscured in satellite images by weather conditions or battle damage, or targeted offshore, and have not been conclusively proven. Separate reports suggested that one Iranian ship was sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka's territorial waters, prompting a rescue operation.

Missile Installations and Atomic Locations Targeted

Neutralizing Tehran's launch facilities and the stopping nuclear weapons development were stated as other goals of the air campaign. Satellite images also showed strikes on the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were targeted.

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

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

Perhaps most notably, the latest wave of strikes have apparently targeted sites at the Natanz complex – considered at the heart of Iran's nuclear programme. An international watchdog commented that the affected structures were used for entry to the facility's underground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was anticipated.

Wider Impact and Assessment

Observers suggested that the attacks appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's capability to sustain traditional warfare using its biggest warships. Nevertheless, it was noted that Tehran maintains the capacity to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "clandestine network" of tankers.

The total scale of the damage caused to Iran's defense facilities remains unclear, with strikes said to be ongoing. Photos also reveals considerable damage to the command center of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city of Tehran.

A large number of civilian buildings also appear to have been damaged in the capital and throughout Iran since the fighting escalated. Casualty figures from ground sources state that many hundreds of civilians may have been killed in the attacks.

As the situation develops, analysis of aerial photographs will persist to document the evolving battlefield picture.