Iran has confirmed that a senior military commander has died following an Israeli strike, marking another high-profile loss as the conflict enters its second month.
According to a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, naval commander Alireza Tangsiri “succumbed to severe injuries” sustained during the attack. Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei paid tribute in a message, describing Tangsiri as “a soldier of Iran and guardian of Islam”.
His funeral is scheduled to take place in Bandar Abbas, a key coastal hub near the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. Earlier, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed the strike, stating Tangsiri was “the man who was directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz”.
The waterway, one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes, has seen restricted shipping since the escalation of hostilities, contributing to rising global energy prices. In its statement, the Guards said Tangsiri had been coordinating coastal defences at the time of the strike and vowed retaliation.
“We will not rest until the enemy is completely destroyed,” the statement said. Tangsiri, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war, had led the Revolutionary Guards’ naval forces since 2018 and was regarded as a key figure in Iran’s maritime strategy.
He had previously warned that Iran would “deliver the harshest blows to the aggressor enemy while maintaining the strategy of closing the Strait of Hormuz”. His death adds to a growing list of senior Iranian officials killed in the conflict, as both sides continue to escalate military and rhetorical pressure.
English (US) ·