Israeli local media reported that the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy of Iran, who led the operation to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, has died.
On the 26th (local time), according to the Times of Israel and the Jerusalem Post, an Israeli government official said IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri died in an airstrike in Bandar Abbas, a southern Iranian port city on the Strait of Hormuz. The official positions of the Israeli military and the Iranian military have not yet been announced.
The official said Commander Tangsiri had been in charge of the blockade and control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global energy shipments. Tangsiri, a rear admiral, was appointed IRGC Navy commander in 2018 and has since focused on strengthening naval power, including fast boats, naval mines, and anti-ship missiles.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical route through which about 20% of the world's seaborne crude oil shipments pass. Iran has been blocking the Strait of Hormuz and restricting vessel traffic in retaliation since on the 28th of last month, when war broke out due to U.S. and Israeli airstrikes.