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Multiple joint attacks has allegedly sunk or crippled at least 11 Iranian naval vessels since the weekend, recently obtained satellite images demonstrate, with launch facilities and enrichment plants also being targeted.

Images of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz and houses the headquarters of the Iranian navy, show smoke billowing from a number of warships on Monday and Tuesday.

Naval Assets Incurred Major Damage

Included in the ships sunk was the Makran, the country's most sizable ship which had functioned as a drone carrier. Orbital photos displayed dark plumes rising from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base.

Analytical evaluations indicate that at least a quintet of warships at Bandar Abbas were "damaged or eliminated". Imagery of the southern end of the harbor depict smoke rising from the IRINS Makran, while another pair of ships appear to be damaged, with one of them clearly on fire.

At the Konarak base, photos reveal numerous harmed vessels, with expert review identifying damage to a half-dozen warships. Images taken on Monday also indicate that several buildings at the installation have been leveled.

"For decades the Tehran government has disrupted commercial vessels," a senior US military official stated. "Now, there is not a single vessel from Iran operational in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."

A number of ships allegedly sunk may have been obscured in satellite images by cloud or smoke, or targeted offshore, and have not been independently verified. Separate reports suggested that an Iranian vessel was foundering off the coast of Sri Lanka's territorial waters, resulting in a rescue operation.

Missile Bases and Atomic Facilities Targeted

Eliminating Iranian missile bases and the prevention of enrichment activities were declared as other objectives of the air campaign. Aerial imagery also revealed strikes on the southern Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where missile storage facilities and bunkers were hit.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site to the west of the city of Kermanshah, extensive damage was seen to sheds, bunkers and drone launch equipment.

Destruction was also observed at a radar installation 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 facilities at the Natanz complex – widely believed to be at the heart of the country's nuclear programme. A global monitoring agency stated that the damaged structures were used for access to the site's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no nuclear fallout" was expected.

Wider Consequences and Assessment

Military analysts stated that the offensive appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iranian navy's ability to carry out standard operations using its largest vessels. Nevertheless, it was emphasised that Tehran retains the capacity to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, mini-submarines and its so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers.

The full scale of the damage caused to Iranian military infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with attacks reportedly continuing. Imagery also shows considerable damage to the headquarters of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.

A significant number of civilian buildings also seem to have been struck in the capital and across Iran since the fighting began. Reports of deaths from inside Iran state that many hundreds of non-combatants may have been fatally injured in the strikes.

With the conflict ongoing, analysis of satellite imagery will continue to document the changing battlefield picture.