US Central Command confirms death of Iran’s IRGC Navy commander

US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Thursday confirmed the death of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy commander by an Israeli airstrike.

CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement that the IRGC, under Adm. Alireza Tangsiri's command for eight years, "harassed thousands of innocent merchant mariners, attacked hundreds of vessels with one way attack drones and missiles, and killed countless innocent civilians."

An Israeli official said Thursday that Tangsiri was killed in an airstrike in Iran's southern city of Bandar Abbas, saying the Iranian commander was responsible for closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz.