US, Israel 'confirm' death of Iranian IRGC naval commander

WASHINGTON: The United States and Israel on Thursday confirmed the death of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps -- Navy commander Admiral Alireza Tangsiri in an airstrike.

"The death of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps - Navy (IRGC-N) commander, Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, from an Israeli airstrike makes the region safer," said a statement on X from US Central Command.

The statement further added that "Tangsiri had commanded the IRGC-N for eight years, during which time the IRGC harassed thousands of innocent merchant mariners, attacked hundreds of vessels with one-way attack drones and missiles, and killed countless innocent civilians."

"He was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Treasury in June 2019, with additional secondary sanctions added in 2024 related to drone development," the statement continued.

US Centcom further stated that, since the commencement of Operation Epic Fury, 92% of the large ships in the Iranian Navy had been eliminated. "As a result, the IRGC-N had completely lost its ability to project power in the Middle East or around the world. Now, with the loss of their long-time leader, the IRGC-N was on an irreversible decline."

"US military strikes on the IRGC-N will continue. Therefore, we call on every Iranian serving in the IRGC-N to immediately abandon their post and return home to avoid further risk of unnecessary injury or death," the statement concluded.

President Benjamin Netanyahu also confirmed in a post on X that Israel had eliminated Tangsiri last night.

He described him as a man with "a lot of blood on his hands" and noted that he was also responsible for leading the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.