Orbital Pictures Show Iranian Naval Forces and Nuclear Sites Hit by American and Israeli Strikes.

Multiple American and Israeli airstrikes has according to analysis destroyed or damaged at least eleven Iranian naval vessels since the weekend, new satellite images show, with launch facilities and atomic facilities also coming under fire.

Photographs of the southerly Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas port installation, which sits on the strategic Hormuz Strait and is home to the main command of the Iran's naval force, reveal black smoke pouring from a number of warships on the start of the week.

Maritime Forces Incurred Substantial Losses

Among the vessels destroyed was the Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had functioned as a drone carrier. Satellite images displayed dark plumes emanating from the ship which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base.

Intelligence evaluations indicate that at least five vessels at the port were "damaged or eliminated". Pictures of the southern end of the port show smoke rising from the Makran, while additional ships appear to be impacted, with one of them seen burning.

At Konarak, images show multiple harmed ships, with analysis identifying impacts on six vessels. Pictures from Monday also demonstrate that a number of structures at the installation have been destroyed.

"For decades the Iranian regime has threatened international shipping," the head of US Central Command said. "Now, there is no Iranian vessel operational in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will persist."

Some vessels reportedly destroyed may have been hidden in satellite images by cloud or smoke, or hit in open waters, and have not been conclusively proven. Additional information suggested that one Iranian ship was going down near Sri Lanka's waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.

Missile Installations and Atomic Locations Hit

The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the prevention of atomic bomb programs were stated as other objectives of the military strikes. Satellite images also depicted impacts against the southern Khorgu and north-western Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air air base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were struck.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone drone base to the west of the city of Kermanshah, widespread damage was seen to warehouses, underground facilities and unmanned aircraft systems.

Damage was also noted at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase in eastern parts of the country, close to the frontier with neighboring nations.

Significantly, the latest wave of attacks have reportedly hit installations at Natanz – long said to be at the heart of the country's atomic program. The UN's atomic energy body stated that the damaged buildings were used for access to the site's underground nuclear plant and that "no nuclear fallout" was likely.

Wider Impact and Analysis

Military analysts indicated that the attacks appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iran's naval ability to sustain standard operations using its largest warships. Nevertheless, it was noted that Iran maintains the option to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "ghost fleet" of tankers.

The full scope of the destruction caused to Iran's defense infrastructure is still uncertain, with strikes reportedly continuing. Imagery also reveals widespread destruction to the command center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the city of Tehran.

A large number of public facilities also appear to have been hit in the capital and across the country since the conflict began. Casualty figures from inside Iran indicate that hundreds of non-combatants may have been lost their lives in the attacks.

As the situation develops, review of space-based data will persist to document the changing scope of damage.

Robin Singh
Robin Singh

A professional poker player and coach with over a decade of experience in tournaments and cash games.