US Strikes Cripple Iran’s Key Port, Satellite Images Show

As U.S. and Israeli forces continue to strike Iran's military bases, images of destruction at the country's installations have emerged. Satellite images show that Iran's naval base in Bandar Abbas has suffered significant damage in the attack.

The pictures, released by Planet Labs on March 2, show a thick plume of smoke over the port. Three fires have been reported at the facility, including two at port infrastructure and one at a vessel.

The impacted vessel is believed to be the IRINS Makran, a 228-meter-long converted tanker. The sea base-type warship can carry five helicopters and fast-attack boats. The vessel has not sunk, but is reportedly severely damaged.

The strike at Bandar Abbas is a key development because the port serves as the headquarters of the Iranian navy. It is located in the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway that connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Ships crossing the chokepoint carry around one-fifth of global oil supplies. Imports and exports through the Bandar Abbas port have been suspended, raising concerns for the global supply chain.

U.S. Central Command’s (CENTCOM) targeted Bandar Abbas as part of its strategy to disrupt Iran’s naval capabilities. CENTCOM recently announced that 11 Iranian ships had been sunk in the Gulf of Oman since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury.

“Two days ago, the Iranian regime had 11 ships in the Gulf of Oman; today, they have ZERO. The Iranian regime has harassed and attacked international shipping in the Gulf of Oman for decades. Those days are over,” CENTCOM posted on X.

President Donald Trump also announced that the U.S. would ‘annihilate’ Iran’s navy. “We’re annihilating their navy. We’ve knocked out already 10 ships. They’re at the bottom of the sea,” the POTUS said.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth echoed similar sentiments in an official statement, saying, “The mission of Operation Epic Fury is laser-focused. Destroy Iranian offensive missiles, destroy Iranian missile production, destroy their navy and other security infrastructure, and they will never have nuclear weapons.”

Apart from striking Bandar Abbas, the U.S. military has sunk the IRIS Jamaran at the Chahbahar port. The IRIS Shahid Bagheri, which served as a drone carrier for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was also hit.

Operation Epic Fury began on February 28 as the U.S. and Israeli forces teamed up to eliminate Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. The two nations said the operation was necessary to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Following Khamenei’s death, Iran retaliated by attacking Israel and launching missiles at the U.S. bases in the Middle East. Iran has so far targeted military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has also been hit by Iranian drones.