March 26, (THEWILL) — Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, the Iranian naval chief in charge of operations around the Strait of Hormuz, has been killed in an Israeli airstrike on the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, according to Israeli officials.
Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, confirmed the strike, stating that Tangsiri was “directly responsible” for mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz. He added that the operation, which reportedly also killed other senior Iranian naval commanders, was intended to signal Israel’s readiness to support efforts to reopen the strategic waterway.
The confirmation marks a significant shift from earlier uncertainty, though Iranian authorities have yet to publicly acknowledge Tangsiri’s death as of press time.
Tangsiri, 64, served as commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy since 2018, following his appointment by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. A veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, he was widely regarded as a central architect of Iran’s naval strategy and asymmetric warfare doctrine in the Gulf.
Israeli officials accused him of authorising the closure of the Strait of Hormuz (a vital global shipping route through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply passes) and of playing a leading role in escalating maritime tensions in the region.
In previous remarks, Tangsiri had defended Iran’s position, vowing to enforce the closure of the strait if ordered by the country’s leadership. He also warned of severe retaliation against perceived adversaries, reflecting his long-standing hardline stance toward the United States and its allies.
His reported killing comes amid a broader wave of high-profile strikes targeting senior Iranian figures, with Israeli sources linking the operation to a wider campaign aimed at weakening Iran’s military command structure.
Reports have also referenced the deaths of other prominent officials, including IRGC spokesperson, Ali Mohammad Naini, and senior figures such as Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani, though details around these claims remain contested.
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