Israel reported that it had eliminated the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy Alireza Tangsiri, who led the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
This is stated in a statement by the Iranian Defense Army.
Along with Tangsiri, the Israel Defense Forces eliminated the head of the IRGC Navyʼs intelligence department, Behnam Rezai.
According to The Jerusalem Post, they died in a strike on the port city of Bandar Abbas on the coast of the Strait of Hormuz.
During his tenure, Tangsiri oversaw a massive expansion of the IRGC Navy, expanding its capabilities with thousands of weapons, including missiles and naval mines. He led attacks on oil tankers and merchant ships using drones and naval mines.
During this war, his role grew significantly: he became one of those who authorized most of the naval attacks in southern Iran, including those that damaged civilian infrastructure and facilities associated with the United States.
Also under his leadership, the IRGC Navy supported allies, primarily the Houthis, by providing maritime intelligence and helping to track ships in strategically important waters.
War in the Middle East
On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials. A new ayatollah was elected on March 8, and he was Mojtaba Khamenei (the son of the deceased Ali Khamenei).
Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, has begun shelling US bases in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE and firing missiles at Israel. Some Iranian drones and missiles have hit infrastructure and residential areas in Arab countries.
The war has halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, sending oil, gas and precious metals soaring. On March 9, global oil prices topped $100 a barrel for the first time in nearly four years.
To keep prices down, the International Energy Agency has decided to release 400 million barrels of oil, and the US plans to release 172 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserve. On March 12, the US lifted sanctions on the purchase of Russian oil that was stuck at sea for 30 days, and a week later it gave permission for Iranian oil.
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