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A wave of joint attacks has allegedly sunk or crippled no fewer than 11 Iranian naval vessels since the weekend, recently obtained aerial photos reveal, with missile bases and nuclear sites also sustaining hits.

Pictures of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the headquarters of the Iranian navy, depict black smoke pouring from multiple ships on Monday and Tuesday.

Maritime Assets Incurred Major Losses

Included in the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, the country's most sizable ship which had been used as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Satellite images indicated black smoke emanating from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Intelligence evaluations suggest that at least a quintet of warships at the port were "damaged or eliminated". Photos of the southern end of the port depict plumes ascending from the Makran, while another pair of vessels appear to be damaged, with one seen burning.

At Konarak, photos reveal numerous stricken vessels, with analysis identifying damage to a half-dozen warships. Images from the start of the week also demonstrate that several facilities at the installation have been demolished.

"For many years the Iranian regime has threatened international shipping," the head of US Central Command stated. "At present, there is not a single vessel from Iran underway in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will continue."

Some ships reportedly destroyed may have been concealed in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or struck at sea, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Additional information stated that one Iranian ship was going down near Sri Lankan territorial waters, prompting a rescue operation.

Missile Bases and Nuclear Locations Hit

Eliminating Iranian missile bases and the hindering of nuclear weapons development were stated as other goals of the air campaign. Satellite images also revealed strikes on the southerly Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were targeted.

At the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site to the west of the city of Kermanshah, widespread damage was observed to warehouses, underground facilities and unmanned aircraft systems.

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

Of particular note, the latest wave of attacks have apparently focused on installations at the Natanz complex – widely believed to be at the heart of Iran's nuclear programme. A global monitoring agency said that the damaged buildings were used for entry to the site's underground enrichment facility and that "no nuclear fallout" was expected.

Wider Fallout and Analysis

Defense experts suggested that the strikes appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iran's naval ability to sustain conventional attacks using its largest vessels. Nevertheless, it was emphasised that Tehran retains the ability to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "clandestine network" of tankers.

The total scope of the destruction caused to Iranian military facilities is still uncertain, with hostilities reportedly persisting. Pictures also reveals considerable damage to the command center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the city of Tehran.

Numerous of civilian buildings also appear to have been hit in the capital city and across the country since the hostilities began. Casualty figures from inside Iran indicate that hundreds of civilians may have been fatally injured in the bombardment.

Amid continuing hostilities, review of aerial photographs will continue to track the evolving scope of damage.