By Roy Wignarajah | March 26, 2026

Israel says it has killed Alireza Tangsiri, head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy, the key figure overseeing Tehran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz—through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply passes.

As of last week, the blockade was reported to be nearly 95% effective, sending shockwaves through global energy markets and driving up oil prices.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said Tangsiri was “blown up” in a targeted strike that also killed several other Iranian naval officials. At the time of publication, Iran had not officially confirmed the claim.

Tangsiri had previously been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury, along with other IRGC commanders, following Iran’s downing of a U.S. surveillance drone near the strait. After joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, and Tehran’s retaliatory blockade, he was quoted in Iranian media as saying that vessels linked to “aggressors against Iran” would not be allowed passage.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Tangsiri as having “a great deal of blood on his hands,” calling the strike “yet another example of the cooperation between us and our friend, the United States, toward the common goal of achieving the objectives of the war.”

Observers warn the killing could harden Iran’s stance and further escalate tensions between Iran, the United States, and Israel, with potentially far-reaching consequences for global security and energy markets.