Iranian naval commander Alireza Tangsiri killed in attack, Israel says | US-Israel war on Iran News

An Israeli air strike has killed the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy, Israel’s defence minister says.

The assassination of Alireza Tangsiri was carried out on Wednesday night and targeted other “senior officers of the naval command”, Israel Katz said on Thursday in a video statement.

“The man who was directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz to shipping was blown up and eliminated,” he said.

Since the start of the United States-Israel war on Iran on February 28, Israel has announced the assassination of several top Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and security chief Ali Larijani.

The toll on civilians is far heavier.

In almost one month, at least 1,937 people have been killed, including 452 women and children, Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Ali Jafarian told Al Jazeera. In addition, at least 24,800 people have been injured, including 4,000 women and 1,621 children, Jafarian added.

Earlier, Al Jazeera reported on the latest victims – two teenage boys who were killed in Shiraz.

Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Tehran, said Tangsiri was a “well-known commander” who was instrumental in shaping the country’s naval doctrine underpinning its strategy in the Strait of Hormuz.

“He’s been commander of the navy for years, the IRGC’s navy, and he’s known to have worked a lot on developing the posture and the technicalities of this navy,” Hashem said. “He’s responsible for also developing drones for military maritime use.”

Hashem added that in recent weeks, Tangsiri had been in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, directly overseeing Iran’s efforts to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz by blocking some vessels.

He said Tangsiri’s social media accounts had also been posting updates on which ships were permitted to pass through the strait, moves that have contributed to a global surge in energy prices.

“He was one of those commanders who survived the two waves of assassinations, the one in 2025 and the one in 2026,” Hashem said. “But at the end, he was killed in Bandar Abbas. At least this is what the Israeli reports are saying.”

Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, also in Tehran, said there was no official Iranian confirmation yet of Tangsiri’s killing.

“But if it’s true, it’s going to be another major blow for a country that has already experienced a lot of military commanders being killed,” he said.

The head of the Basij paramilitary forces, Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani, and Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib were also assassinated in Israeli attacks.

In recent days, Israeli forces have carried out several strikes targeting the naval assets of Iran.

Last week, Israeli air attacks hit several Iranian naval ships in the Caspian Sea, including ones equipped with missile systems, support vessels and patrol craft.

Iran has been blocking ships it perceives as linked to the US and Israeli war from the Strait of Hormuz, but it is letting a trickle of others through the crucial waterway.

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a bloc of six Gulf Arab nations, said Iran was charging for safe passage through the strait.

On Thursday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Iran was letting its tankers pass through the strait, after talks with Iranian, Turkish and other regional leaders.