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A series of American and Israeli strikes has according to analysis sunk or crippled at least 11 Iran's navy ships starting Saturday, freshly analyzed aerial photos show, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also being targeted.

Images of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas facility, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the headquarters of the Iranian navy, reveal smoke billowing from several vessels on recent days.

Maritime Assets Sustained Major Damage

Among the ships sunk was the IRINS Makran, the country's largest naval vessel which had been used as a drone carrier. Satellite images indicated dark plumes pouring from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base.

Analytical reports state that no fewer than a quintet of warships at the port were "hit or sunk". Photos of the southern end of the port show smoke rising from the IRINS Makran, while two other vessels appear to be harmed, with a single one clearly on fire.

Over at Konarak, images show several damaged vessels, with intelligence reports identifying damage to a half-dozen warships. Pictures from the start of the week also demonstrate that several structures at the base have been leveled.

"For decades the Tehran government has disrupted commercial vessels," the head of US Central Command said. "Today, there is not a single vessel from Iran underway in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will persist."

Some vessels reportedly destroyed may have been hidden in satellite images by haze or plumes, or targeted offshore, and have not been conclusively proven. Other accounts indicated that an Iranian vessel was foundering off the coast of Sri Lankan waters, prompting a rescue operation.

Missile Bases and Atomic Facilities Targeted

Neutralizing Iran's rocket sites and the prevention of atomic bomb programs were stated as further objectives of the military strikes. Satellite images also revealed impacts against the southerly Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak air air base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were struck.

At the Choqa Balk-e UAV facility west of the city of Kermanshah, significant destruction was observed to storage buildings, underground facilities and unmanned aircraft systems.

Damage was also seen at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase in eastern parts of the country, near the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Significantly, the most recent series of strikes have apparently focused on facilities at Natanz – long said to be at the center of Iran's nuclear programme. An international watchdog commented that the affected structures were used for entry to the site's underground enrichment facility and that "no radiological consequence" was anticipated.

Wider Consequences and Analysis

Observers indicated that the strikes appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's capability to sustain conventional attacks using its biggest vessels. Nevertheless, it was emphasised that Tehran still has the option to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.

The total extent of the destruction caused to Iran's defense facilities is still uncertain, with strikes reportedly persisting. Pictures also shows extensive damage to the command center of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.

A significant number of non-military structures also seem to have been struck in the capital city and throughout Iran since the fighting began. Casualty figures from local officials state that hundreds of non-combatants may have been fatally injured in the strikes.

With the conflict ongoing, analysis of aerial photographs will continue to assess the changing battlefield picture.