Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy, Alireza Tangsiri, has reportedly been killed in what Israeli officials described as a targeted strike, further escalating tensions in the ongoing conflict.
Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, claimed Tangsiri was “directly responsible for the terrorist act of bombing and blocking the Strait of Hormuz”, adding that he “has been ‘blown up’”.
He also disclosed that several other “senior Navy command officials” were killed in the same operation. Iranian authorities have yet to issue an official response.
The development comes amid a widening campaign by Israel since the war began on February 28. According to Israeli claims, several high-ranking Iranian figures have been assassinated, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and security chief Ali Larijani.
A central element of Iran’s wartime strategy has been the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow but critical waterway bordered by Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Roughly 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments typically pass through the route, making it one of the world’s most vital energy corridors.
Reports indicate that maritime activity in the strait has plummeted sharply, with daily traffic dropping by about 95 percent as of last week.
The disruption has sent oil prices soaring, amplifying the global economic impact of the conflict.
In recent weeks, posts from an X account linked to Tangsiri and cited by Iranian media reinforced Tehran’s stance on the blockade. One such post declared that “no vessel associated with the aggressors against Iran has the right to pass through”.
Tangsiri, who became IRGC Navy commander in 2018 after serving as deputy since 2010, had long been a key figure in Iran’s naval operations.
In 2019, he was sanctioned by the United States Treasury alongside other IRGC officials following Iran’s downing of a U.S. surveillance drone near the Strait of Hormuz.
Reacting to the development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Tangsiri as a man with “a great deal of blood on his hands”, calling the strike “yet another example of the co-operation between us and our friend, the United States, toward the common goal of achieving the objectives of the war”.
The United States Central Command also weighed in, stating that Tangsiri’s death “makes the region safer” and described the IRGC Navy as being “on an irreversible decline”.
It urged personnel within the force to step away from their roles and return home “to avoid further risk of unnecessary injury or death”.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military announced that Behnam Rezaei, identified as head of the IRGC Navy’s intelligence directorate, was also “eliminated” in the operation.
