🔗 Share this article Satellite Photographs Show Iran's Naval Forces and Atomic Sites Hit by American and Israeli Military Action. A series of joint attacks has reportedly destroyed or damaged at least eleven Iranian naval vessels starting the weekend, recently obtained satellite images demonstrate, with rocket sites and enrichment plants also being targeted. Images of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas port installation, which overlooks the strategic Hormuz Strait and houses the main command of the Iranian navy, show black smoke pouring from multiple vessels on Monday and Tuesday. Maritime Fleet Sustained Substantial Losses Among the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, Iran's largest naval vessel which had been used as a drone carrier. Aerial imagery indicated dark plumes emanating from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base. Intelligence reports state that at least a quintet of warships at Bandar Abbas were "hit or sunk". Photos of the southern part of the port depict smoke emanating from the Makran, while two other vessels are visibly damaged, with a single one clearly on fire. At the Konarak base, photos show several damaged ships, with intelligence reports pointing to damage to six vessels. Pictures taken on Monday also show that several buildings at the base have been leveled. "For a long time the Tehran government has threatened international shipping," the head of US Central Command declared. "Today, there is not a single Iranian ship operational in the Arabian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will persist." Some vessels allegedly sunk may have been obscured in satellite images by haze or plumes, or targeted offshore, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Separate reports stated that one Iranian ship was going down near Sri Lankan territorial waters, prompting a search and rescue mission. Rocket Sites and Nuclear Facilities Targeted The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the prevention of nuclear weapons development were declared as other aims of the offensive. Aerial imagery also showed impacts against the southern Khorgu and north-western Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air air base, where missile storage facilities and fortifications were hit. Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone drone base west of Kermanshah, widespread destruction was seen to warehouses, underground facilities and drone launch equipment. Damage was also seen at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase in eastern Iran, close to the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan. Significantly, the latest wave of attacks have apparently hit installations at Natanz – considered at the heart of Iran's atomic program. The UN's atomic energy body said that the damaged structures were used for entry to the facility's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was expected. Broader Impact and Assessment Military analysts indicated that the attacks appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iranian navy's capacity to carry out standard operations using its biggest warships. Nevertheless, it was emphasised that Tehran retains the capacity to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of drones, small submarines and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships. The overall scale of the damage caused to Iran's defense infrastructure remains unclear, with attacks said to be persisting. Imagery also indicates considerable destruction to the command center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the city of Tehran. Numerous of public facilities also are reported to have been hit in the capital and throughout the country since the fighting escalated. Reports of deaths from ground sources suggest that a high number of civilians may have been lost their lives in the strikes. With the conflict ongoing, review of satellite imagery will continue to document the changing battlefield picture.