Alireza Tangsiri was appointed as the commander of the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in 2018. Previously he had served as the deputy commander of the IRGC navy from 2010.
An X account attributed to him has been active since 10 March this year, with Iranian outlets quoting from the posts on it. In the posts, he has posted several times about the Strait of Hormuz. The account had said that "no vessel associated with the aggressors against Iran has the right to pass through".
Tangsiri is an outspoken commander, having made several statements against the US and Israel in the past.
Back in 2019 he had threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if Iran's oil exports were disrupted.
Tangsiri was sanctioned by the US Treasury along with other IRGC commanders in 2019 after Iran shot down a US surveillance drone near the strait.
Defence Minister Israel Katz says Alireza Tangsiri was "directly responsible" for the effective closure of the strait, and has been "blown up"
Earlier an influential global policy group said the blockade was "raising costs, weighing on demand and adding to inflationary pressures" across the globe
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump says Iran has been "militarily obliterated" and its negotiators have been "begging" to make a deal - Iran has denied that talks with the US are taking place
On Wednesday, an Iranian official issued five conditions to end the war that came after Iran reportedly received a 15-point plan from the US
Attacks on Iran and Lebanon continue, while two people have been killed by debris from an intercepted missile in Abu Dhabi, thought to be from Iran
