...
By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Israel says it has killed the commander of Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) naval forces, responsible for overseeing the weeks-long blockade of the vital Strait of Hormuz trade route that has wreaked havoc with global markets and fuel prices.
Alireza Tangsiri had been "blown up" along with several other senior Iranian naval figures, Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, announced on Thursday.
Tangsiri was "directly responsible for the terrorist act of bombing and blocking the Strait of Hormuz," Katz said.
Read More on World
Despite growing pressure, the U.S. has not managed to break Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that normally sees a fifth of the world's oil and gas, sending prices soaring as fears of shortages rippled across the world.
Iran's threats to attack tankers aligned with the U.S. or Israel in the strait, a little over just 20 miles wide at its narrowest point, has been one of Tehran's most effective ways of fighting back against U.S.-Israeli bombardment since the war began on February 28.
...
Traffic through the strait has plunged more than 90 percent, just a trickle of maritime traffic making it through the area. Typically, about 150 tankers and bulk carriers would pass through each day but fewer than 100 have been allowed through since March 2.
Iran has not commented on the Israeli report of Tangsiri's death. Iranian state media and outlets affiliated with the country's military did not reference Katz's statement shortly after the news broke.
Tangsiri was killed in an airstrike on the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, several Israeli media outlets reported. The city sits on the northern edge of the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel has doggedly chased down Iran's most senior political and military officials and last week killed an IRGC spokesperson in a joint strike with the U.S. Also among Iran's slain senior officials are Tehran's intelligence and defense ministers, while long-time Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in initial U.S.-Israeli airstrikes.
Tangsiri was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in early 2023, when the U.S. government said he had overseen the IRGC Navy's drone and cruise missile tests.
The U.S. military said on Wednesday it had attacked more than 10,000 targets in Iran in just under a month, taking out 92 percent of the Iranian navy's largest ships.
The U.S.'s plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is still unclear after the White House threatened overwhelming strikes on Iran while also moving elite soldiers toward the area. The more than 5,000 specially trained soldiers and Marines en route to the Middle East are drilled on how to quickly execute dangerous missions, like storming and taking control of islands or carrying out raids.
These forces would be best placed to launch a ground invasion of Iran's Kharg Island—responsible for 90 percent of Iran's oil exports, the backbone of its economy—or other islands in and around the Strait of Hormuz, to pressure Iran into releasing its chokehold on the waterway.
The U.S. and Iran painted contrasting pictures of the prospect of a diplomatic solution into Thursday. President Donald Trump called Iranian negotiators "strange" in a morning post to his Truth Social platform and said Iranian officials were "begging" to make a deal.
Iran, meanwhile, insisted it was not in direct talks with the U.S. but had rejected an American proposal delivered via mediators. Iran's state broadcaster, citing what it called a “senior political-security official" on Thursday, reported Tehran had five demands for a deal, which included recognizing Iranian authority over the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House also reiterated previous threats of using further force against Iran. "They better get serious soon, before it is too late," Trump said.
Update 3/26/2026, 8:15 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines