Chief of Iran s elite naval force, responsible for Hormuz blockade, killed- Israel

The commander of Iran's elite naval force, Alireza Tangsiri, has reportedly been killed in a strike in southern Iran, according to an official from Israel. This incident marks another significant loss in the ongoing conflict, which has now entered its fourth week. Tangsiri, who led the naval branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is said to have died in a strike in Bandar Abbas, a port city. The Israeli official noted that Commodore Tangsiri was in charge of closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that has greatly affected oil and gas shipments from the Middle East. There has been no immediate confirmation from Iranian sources, and the Israel Defense Forces have not commented on the incident. If verified, this death would be a serious setback for Iran's military, especially regarding its naval activities in the important Persian Gulf region. Alireza Tangsiri was born in Bushehr Province in southern Iran. He advanced in the ranks of the IRGC Navy after his service during the Iran-Iraq War and the Tanker Wars, which were part of the United States' first conflict with Iran in the 1980s. Tangsiri commanded the IRGC Navy's 1st Naval District in Bandar Abbas and served as deputy commander from 2010 to 2018 before becoming the chief of the naval force. His reported death adds to a growing list of senior Iranian leaders who have been assassinated since the war began on February 28, when the US and Israel launched coordinated military actions against Iran. Among the notable early losses was Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This has led to a systematic dismantling of key figures within the political and military leadership of the Islamic Republic.