Tehran, March 30: Iran has officially confirmed the death of Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy. According to the Iranian news agency IRNA, Tangsiri was severely injured, and his death was attributed to these injuries.
On March 26, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and subsequently Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the Israeli military had killed Tangsiri along with several other officials in an operation. With Iran’s confirmation, it is now clear that Tangsiri succumbed to injuries sustained during the attack.
Prime Minister Netanyahu released a video message informing about Tangsiri’s death, stating, “On Wednesday night (March 25), the commander of the IRGC Navy was killed. Alireza Tangsiri was stationed at the Strait of Hormuz.”
Prior to Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz also provided details about Tangsiri’s death in a video message, saying, “On Wednesday night, in a precise and dangerous operation, the IDF eliminated the Navy commander Tangsiri and senior naval command officials of the Revolutionary Guards.”
The news of Tangsiri’s death was first reported by Israeli media, citing an Israeli military official who claimed that the commander was killed during attacks on Iran’s Bandar Abbas city.
Tangsiri was a prominent figure in Iran’s maritime military strategy and played a significant role in monitoring ships and military operations in the Hormuz region. Born in Bushehr province in southern Iran, he became part of the IRGC Navy after playing a crucial role in the Iran-Iraq War and the so-called Tanker War, which marked the first conflict between Iran and the United States in the 1980s.
He commanded the IRGC Navy’s first naval district in Bandar Abbas and served as deputy commander from 2010 to 2018, after which he took over as chief of the force.
With the confirmation of his death, Tangsiri’s name has been added to the growing list of senior Iranian officials killed since the conflict began on February 28, which includes Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, security chief Ali Larijani, Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, and several prominent military officials from the Revolutionary Guards.