Sardar

Alireza Tangsiri
Tangsiri in 2020
Native name
علیرضا تنگسیری
Born 1962 (1962)
Died 26 March 2026(2026-03-26) (aged 63–64)
Bandar Abbas, Iran
Allegiance Iran
Branch Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Rank Commodore
Commands Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy
Conflicts
  • Iran–Iraq War
  • 2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident
  • Twelve-Day War
  • 2026 Iran war †

Commodore Alireza Tangsiri (Persian: علیرضا تنگسیری;‎ 1962 – 26 March 2026) was an Iranian naval officer who served as the commander of the IRGC Navy.[1][2] On 26 March 2026, the Israel Defense Forces announced that they had assassinated Tangsiri during the 2026 Iran war.[3][4] On 30 March 2026, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed Tangsiri died after sustaining serious injuries.[5]

Military career

Tangsiri was a naval brigade commander during the Iran-Iraq War. He later headed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) 1st Naval District in Bandar Abbas.[6]

In September 2007, Tangsiri said that if the United States were "to clash with us, we would chase them even to the Gulf of Mexico."[7]

In January 2016, after Iran detained 10 US sailors in the 2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident when they had engine failure and entered Iranian waters, Tangsiri described it as "U.S. forces surrendering to Iran."[7]

On 23 August 2018, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, appointed Tangsiri as commander of the IRGCN.[6]

In November 2021, Tangsiri said that the United States had "come to realize the Islamic Republic’s superiority at sea."[8] In February 2025, he unveiled Iran's first drone carrier, a commercial vessel that had been repurposed, which he described as the “largest naval military project” in the history of Iran.[9] In March 2025, Tangsiri warned that "If the enemies make a mistake, we will send them to the depths of hell," after U.S. President Donald Trump wrote Iran's supreme leader Khamenei urging Iran to reach a nuclear agreement with the U.S. or else face military action.[10]

In April 2025, Tangsiri said that the United States Navy was "incapable" of challenging Iran's maritime dominance.[11]

Political views

In 2013, Tangsiri said: "the Israelis are Jews and the Americans are Christians. Our Quran stresses that they are not our friends."[12][13]

In 2022, Tangsiri claimed that Saudi rulers descend from the Jews of Medina and Khaybar, enemies of the Prophet Muhammad.[14] He has previously threatened American and British shipping in the Persian Gulf.[15]

U.S. sanctions

On 24 June 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Tangsiri as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, freezing any of his U.S. assets and banning U.S. persons from doing business with him, under Executive Order 13224.[16] He was sanctioned with secondary sanctions in 2024 due to his position on the board of Paravar Pars Company, an Iranian military company which develops unmanned aerial vehicles and is sanctioned by the United States.[15]

Assassination

On 26 March 2026, Israel's defense minister Israel Katz and the Israel Defense Forces announced the assassination of Tangsiri.[17][18][19] The strike took place in the port city of Bandar Abbas.[20][21] Katz claimed that Tangsiri had overseen the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and was directly responsible for attacks in the area.[22] The IDF also claimed that other senior IRGC Navy commanders were killed in the strike.[23] Tangsiri's death was later confirmed by Iranian authorities.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Leader appoints new Revolutionary Guards' Navy cmdr". Mehr News Agency. 23 August 2018.
  2. ^ "Ayatollah Khamenei appoints new Commander of IRGC Navy, Coordinator". khamenei.ir. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Israel says it killed Iran's top naval commander in bid to reopen Strait of Hormuz". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  4. ^ Staff, Al Jazeera. "Iranian naval commander Alireza Tangsiri killed in attack, Israel says". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  5. ^ a b "Iran confirms death of Revolutionary Guards Navy Commander Tangsiri, statement says". Reuters. 30 March 2026. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
  6. ^ a b "IRGC Navy Leadership Change May Not Signal Imminent Behavior Change". Washington Institute. 5 September 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Khamenei Shows Toughness In Persian Gulf Under New Commander". Radio Farda. 25 April 2018.
  8. ^ "Iran's Guard Corps navy chief brags at dealing 9 maritime 'slaps' to US". The Times of Israel. 21 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Iran's first drone carrier joins Revolutionary Guards' fleet". Dawn. 7 February 2025.
  10. ^ "Iran is deploying Air Defense Systems on Three Islands in the Persian Gulf". Sarajevo Times. 24 March 2025.
  11. ^ "'US cannot challenge Iran in Persian Gulf:' IRGC Navy Chief". Tehran Times. 20 April 2025.
  12. ^ "IRAN 2013 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT" (PDF). US Department of State.
  13. ^ O'Toole, Lauran; Scarsi, Alice; Toua, Myriam (26 March 2026). "Iran's top military commander 'killed' in reported Israeli airstrike". AOL. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  14. ^ Magen, Ze'ev (2023). Reading revolutionary Iran: the worldview of the Islamic republic's religio-political elite. Studies on Modern Orient. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. p. 629. ISBN 978-3-11-101810-2.
  15. ^ a b "Ali Reza Tangsiri". Counter Extremism Project. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  16. ^ "Issuance of Executive Order of June 24, 2019, "Imposing Sanctions with Respect to Iran;" Iran-related Designations; Counter Terrorism Designations". U.S. Department of the Treasury. Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  17. ^ "Israeli official: IRGC Navy chief killed in strike, was responsible for Hormuz chokehold". The Times of Israel. 26 March 2026. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  18. ^ "IRGC navy commander Tangsiri killed in strike, Israel says". Iran International. 26 March 2026. Archived from the original on 26 March 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  19. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (26 March 2026). "IDF confirms killing IRGC Navy commander, says strike also killed Navy's intel chief and rest of the Navy leadership". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 26 March 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  20. ^ Stein, Amichai; Bob, Yonah Jeremy; Siegal, Tobias (26 March 2026). "Israel kills Alireza Tangsiri, IRGC Navy chief 'behind blocking of Strait of Hormuz'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  21. ^ Burke, Jason (26 March 2026). "IRGC naval commander killed in Israeli strike was hardliner who understood power of strait of Hormuz". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  22. ^ "Israel says it has killed Iran's navy chief overseeing Strait of Hormuz blockade". BBC News. 26 March 2026. Archived from the original on 26 March 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  23. ^ "Israel says IRGC Navy's commander, other chiefs killed; Qalibaf said removed from hit list". The Times of Israel. 26 March 2026. Archived from the original on 27 March 2026. Retrieved 27 March 2026.