Satellite images provide view inside Iran at war

NPR News · Mar 2, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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Smoke rises over Konarak naval base in southern Iran on Sunday. The base was one of hundreds of targets of U.S. and Israeli forces throughout the country. Planet Labs PBC hide caption toggle caption Planet Labs PBC Commercial satellite images are providing a unique look at the extent of damage being done to Iran's military facilities across the country. The U.S. and Israeli military campaign opened with a daytime attack that struck Iranian leadership in central Tehran. Smoke was still visible rising from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's compound following the attack that killed the supreme leader. An image by the company Airbus taken on Saturday shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Iran's Leadership House in central Tehran. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening wave of attacks. Pléiades Neo (c) Airbus DS 2026 hide caption toggle caption Pléiades Neo (c) Airbus DS 2026 Israel and the U.S. have gone on to strike targets across the country. Reports on social media indicate that there have been numerous military bases and compounds attacked all over Iran, and Iran has responded with attacks throughout the Middle East. U.S. forces have also been striking at Iran's navy. In a post on his social media platform, President Trump said that he had been briefed that U.S. forces had sunk nine Iranian naval vessels. U.S. Central Command did not immediately confirm that number but it did say it had struck an Iranian warship in port. An image captured on Saturday shows a ship burning at Iran's naval base at Konarak. Satellite image ©2026 Vantor hide caption toggle caption Satellite image ©2026 Vantor Numerous satellite images show burning vessels at Konarak naval base in southern Iran. Images also show damage to a nearby airbase where hardened hangers were struck by precision munitions. Hardened aircraft shelters at Konarak airbase were struck with precision munitions. Satellite image ©2026 Vantor hide caption toggle caption Satellite image ©2026 Vantor And there was extensive damage at a drone base in the same area. Iran has launched numerous drones and missiles toward Israel and U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Many drones have been intercepted but videos on social media show that some have evaded air defenses and caused damage in nearby Gulf countries. In Dubai, debris from an Iranian drone damaged the iconic Burj Al Arab, according to a statement from Dubai's government. Buildings at an Iranian drone base at Konarak were destroyed in the strikes. Satellite image ©2026 Vantor hide caption toggle caption Satellite image ©2026 Vantor Iran's most powerful weapons are its long-range missiles. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have hidden the missiles deep inside mountain tunnels. Images taken Sunday in the mountains of northern Iran indicate that some of those tunnels were hit in a wave of strikes. Loading... Following Khamenei's death, Iran declared 40 days of mourning. Satellite images showed mourners gathering in Tehran's Enghelab square on Sunday. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told NPR on Sunday that Iran will continue to fight "foreign aggression, foreign domination." A White House official told NPR that Trump plans to talk to Iran's interim leadership "eventually," but that for now, U.S. operations continue in the region "unabated." A large crowd of mourners fill Enghelab Square in Tehran on Sunday, following the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Satellite image ©2026 Vantor hide caption toggle caption Satellite image ©2026 Vantor