TEHRAN: Iran confirmed on Monday that senior Revolutionary Guards commander Alireza Tangsiri has died from injuries sustained in an Israeli air strike, days after Israel announced it had targeted him.
A statement carried by the Guards’ Sepah News website said Tangsiri had “succumbed to severe injuries” following the attack.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had earlier said the strike was carried out on March 26 and targeted Tangsiri along with other senior naval officers.
Key military figure
Tangsiri was a prominent commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy and played a central role in shaping the country’s maritime strategy, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz.
He was widely seen as instrumental in developing Iran’s naval doctrine, including the use of drones for maritime operations and tactics aimed at controlling key shipping routes.
In recent weeks, he had been overseeing operations from the port city of Bandar Abbas, where Iran has sought to assert control over traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Part of a wider campaign
His killing is part of a broader Israeli campaign targeting senior Iranian officials since the start of the conflict on February 28.
Israel has claimed responsibility for assassinating several high-ranking figures, including senior political and security officials, in an effort to weaken Iran’s military command structure.
Heavy civilian toll
The conflict has also taken a severe toll on civilians.
According to Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Ali Jafarian, at least 1,937 people have been killed over the past month, including 452 women and children.
More than 24,800 people have been injured, among them thousands of women and children.
Iran has faced a wave of targeted killings in recent months, with several senior figures eliminated in Israeli strikes.
Tangsiri’s death is likely to further heighten tensions in an already volatile conflict, with risks of escalation at sea and disruption to global energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
With both military operations and targeted strikes ongoing, prospects for immediate de-escalation remain uncertain.
