Iran Naval Commander Alireza Tangsiri Overseeing Hormuz Blockade Killed: Israel

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval commander Alireza Tangsiri has been killed in a US-Israeli strike in the coastal area of Bandar Abbas, Israeli media reported, citing an Israeli official. Tangsiri was responsible for the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Times of Israel report.

There has been no comment yet from Iran or from the Israeli military on the strike. If confirmed, this would mark the latest high-profile casualty in the war that's now in its fourth week.

Tangsiri was one of the few big names who had survived US-Israeli assassination attempts so far. An experienced commander in place since 2018, he has played a significant part in Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Closure Of Hormuz

With its stranglehold on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which leads from the Persian Gulf toward the open ocean, Iran has been blocking ships it perceives as linked to the US. and Israeli war effort, but letting through a trickle of others. In peacetime, 20 per cent of all traded oil and natural gas is transported through the strategic waterway.

Tehran's chokehold on the passage has led to a 95 per cent drop in daily shipping of energy through the critical waterways. The channel typically sees around 120 daily transits, according to shipping industry intelligence site Lloyd's List. However, from March 1 to 25, commodity carriers made just 155 crossings, according to analytics firm Kpler -- a decrease of 95 per cent.

Of these, 99 were by oil tankers and gas carriers, and most were travelling east out of the strait. Just two vessels were detected crossing the strait on Wednesday, both heading west.

The Fars and Tasnim news agencies, both close to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, have reported that Tehran was also working to formalise the process of charging fees to let ships pass. Iran is reportedly instituting a "de facto 'toll booth' regime", with some ships paying in Chinese yuan to pass through the strait.

Killing Of Iranian Leaders

Iran's veteran supreme leader and a host of other top figures and Revolutionary Guards commanders have already been killed in US-Israeli strikes, but the ruling system has maintained its ability to strategise and operate in the war that began on February 28.

Born from a 1979 revolution, the Islamic Republic built a complex power structure with layered institutions buttressed by a shared commitment to the survival of the theocratic system rather than relying on a small number of individuals.

Iran's political system merges clerical rule with an elected president and parliament, and they all have a significant role in running the Islamic Republic along with the Guards.

The killing of the late Ali Khamenei's main adviser Ali Larijani earlier this month was a real blow to the ruling authorities given his extensive experience, his ability to operate between Iran's different power centres and his skills negotiating with the outside world.

Other capable, experienced political figures remain, but the more prominent ones likely to step into the shoes of Larijani and other assassinated individuals may be more hardline than those who have been killed.