Washington DC [US], March 27 (ANI): The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on Thursday that Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGC-N), was killed in an Israeli airstrike, marking a significant development in the ongoing conflict in West Asia.

In a statement, Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of US CENTCOM, said the elimination of Tangsiri 'makes the region safer', asserting that the IRGC-N under his leadership had harassed merchant vessels, attacked ships with drones and missiles, and caused civilian casualties.

It highlighted that Tangsiri had been designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Treasury in 2019, with further sanctions added in 2024 over drone development.

'The death of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps - Navy (IRGC-N) commander, Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, from an Israeli airstrike makes the region safer. Tangsiri commanded the IRGC-N for eight years, during which time the IRGC harassed thousands of innocent merchant mariners, attacked hundreds of vessels with one-way attack drones and missiles, and killed countless innocent civilians. He was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Treasury in June 2019, with additional secondary sanctions added in 2024 related to drone development,' the statement read.

The CENTCOM chief added that since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, a US-led campaign against Iran's naval forces, '92% of the large ships in the Iranian Navy have been eliminated', leaving the IRGC-N effectively unable to project power in the Middle East or beyond, and warned that US military strikes would continue and urged Iranian personnel in the IRGC-N to abandon their posts to avoid further harm.

'U.S. military strikes on the IRGC-N will continue. Therefore, we call on every Iranian serving in the IRGC-N to immediately abandon their post and return home to avoid further risk of unnecessary injury or death,' the statement read.

Earlier in the day, the IDF confirmed the elimination of the top command of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, including its commander and the head of its intelligence division.

In a post on X, the IDF confirmed that the Israeli Air Force, under precise intelligence guidance from Military Intelligence and the Navy's Intelligence Branch, struck overnight in Bandar Abbas and eliminated Ali Reza Tangsiri, commander of the Revolutionary Guards' Navy over the past eight years.

The IDF stated that Tangsiri held key roles, 'including overseeing the regime's maritime terror activities and coordinating between Iranian military forces in the Gulf region'.

Tangsiri also 'led the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and promoted terror actions in the maritime domain, being one of the main figures responsible for disrupting the global economy.'

Along with Tangsiri, the IDF confirmed the elimination of Hanam Rezaei, the head of the Navy's Intelligence Division.

Rezaei was described as a 'hub of knowledge in maritime intelligence' who engaged in intelligence gathering on regional countries and led collaborations with various intelligence organisations.

According to the IDF, this operation joins dozens of eliminations of Iranian commanders, constituting 'another severe blow to the Revolutionary Guards' command and control systems and to their ability to conduct terror activities in the maritime domain against regional countries.' (ANI)