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A wave of joint strikes has according to analysis sunk or crippled no fewer than 11 Iranian naval vessels since the weekend, recently obtained orbital imagery show, with rocket sites and enrichment plants also being targeted.

Images of the southern Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas facility, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the headquarters of the Iranian navy, reveal plumes of smoke rising from several warships on Monday and Tuesday.

Naval Assets Incurred Major Damage

Included in the ships sunk was the IRINS Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had functioned as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Aerial imagery indicated dark plumes rising from the vessel which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas base.

Analytical evaluations state that no fewer than a quintet of warships at the port were "damaged or eliminated". Imagery of the southern end of the harbor reveal smoke emanating from the IRINS Makran, while additional vessels are visibly damaged, with a single one seen burning.

Over at Konarak, images reveal numerous damaged vessels, with intelligence reports pointing to strikes against six ships. Pictures from the start of the week also demonstrate that a number of facilities at the base have been demolished.

"For many years the Iran's leadership has disrupted commercial vessels," the head of US Central Command said. "At present, there is no Iranian vessel underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will continue."

A number of vessels allegedly sunk may have been hidden in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or struck at sea, and have not been independently verified. Additional information suggested that an Iranian vessel was sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka's waters, resulting in a rescue operation.

Rocket Bases and Nuclear Facilities Hit

The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the stopping nuclear weapons development were stated as further goals of the military strikes. Aerial imagery also depicted damage at the southern Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were struck.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e UAV facility west of the city of Kermanshah, significant destruction was seen to warehouses, bunkers and unmanned aircraft systems.

Damage was also noted at a radar site at the Zahedan military airport in eastern parts of the country, near the frontier with neighboring nations.

Significantly, the latest wave of attacks have reportedly targeted installations at the Natanz complex – long said to be at the heart of Iran's nuclear programme. An international watchdog said that the damaged structures were used for entry to the facility's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no nuclear fallout" was anticipated.

Wider Consequences and Assessment

Observers stated that the strikes appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's ability to carry out traditional warfare using its most significant vessels. However, it was noted that Tehran still has the ability to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.

The total extent of the damage caused to Iran's defense facilities is still uncertain, with attacks said to be continuing. Imagery also reveals widespread damage to the headquarters of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the capital Tehran.

A significant number of civilian buildings also are reported to have been struck in the capital and across Iran since the fighting started. Toll estimates from inside Iran suggest that many hundreds of non-combatants may have been fatally injured in the attacks.

As the situation develops, analysis of aerial photographs will carry on to document the evolving scope of damage.