Iranian IRGC Navy Chief Behind Strait Of Hormuz Blockade Killed In Airstrike: Reports

An Iranian naval commander linked to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has reportedly been killed in an airstrike on Thursday, according to multiple reports.

Alireza Tangsiri, who led the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy, was said to have been killed in a strike on the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, which sits along the Strait. An Israeli official confirmed the claim to the Jerusalem Post, though neither the Israeli military nor Iranian authorities have issued any formal statement.

His reported death follows a series of high-profile killings, including IRGC spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini, senior figure Ali Larijani, and Gholamreza Soleimani, who was involved in suppressing protests.

Tangsiri had reportedly authorised the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route responsible for about 20% of global oil transport. The waterway has effectively remained closed since the launch of Operation Epic Fury on 28 February.

The disruption has contributed to sharp swings in oil markets, with Brent crude reaching $100 per barrel earlier this week. The situation has led to increasing pressure from political leaders and energy industry figures to restore access to the route.

Iran has warned it could escalate further if tensions deepen, including the possibility of targeting another critical passage, the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. This route links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and carries roughly 12% of the world’s oil supply.

“If the enemy wants to take action on land in the Iranian islands or anywhere else in our lands or to inflict costs on Iran with naval movements in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman,” Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported, citing IRGC sources.

“We will open other fronts for them as a surprise so that their action will not only be of no benefit to them but will also double their costs.

“The Bab al-Mandab Strait is considered one of the world’s strategic straits, and Iran has both the will and the ability to create a completely credible threat against it.”

The warning came after President Trump said US Central Command had carried out a major bombing operation targeting Kharg Island, describing it as having “executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island.”

Kharg Island, which is about one-third the size of Manhattan, handles around 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports. In response to fears of further attacks or a possible invasion, Iranian forces have reportedly strengthened air defences and deployed naval mines around the area.

Concerns are also growing among US allies about the risk of escalation. An Israeli source suggested that any American ground action could lead to casualties due to expected Iranian drone strikes.

“The hope is that they won’t take that risk and will instead fire at the oil fields, but there is no way to know,” the source said.