UANI Applauds Strike on IRGC’s Navy Commander

(New York, NY)—United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI)’s CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace released the following statement on the Israeli strike which killed Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)’s Navy.

“UANI applauds the strike on the IRGC’s Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri, whom the U.S. government sanctioned as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2019. Tangsiri was a longtime foe of the United States, engaged in a forever war against America and its maritime security. 

“The U.S. government sanctioned him under counterterrorism authorities in 2019, citing his threats to close the Strait of Hormuz and for “sitting atop a structure…that is responsible for the sabotage of vessels in international waters.” Before becoming the commander of the IRGC’s Navy in 2018, Tangsiri served as deputy commander of the IRGC’s Navy and headed the IRGC’s Navy’s 1st Naval District in Bandar Abbas.

“He was responsible for a series of provocations against U.S. forces, including in 2016 when the IRGC’s Navy seized ten American sailors. Tangsiri won a promotion from the supreme leader after that episode and rose from deputy commander to commander of the IRGC’s Navy. In 2009, Tangsiri similarly played a key role in the IRGC’s detention of five British sailors. He boasted about suicide missions against U.S. vessels in the Persian Gulf, saying “there are people who would crash themselves into U.S. warships with explosives.

“UANI has warned Tangsiri personally as far back as 2023 that he will be held responsible for his hostilities against America. As Ambassador Mark D. Wallace wrote in 2023, ‘Rear Admiral Tangsiri, you are on notice: Any escalations and further bloodshed is blood on your hands. Continued IRGC hostilities against the U.S., its interests, and its allies and partners in the region will lead to a decisive and lethal U.S. response and your men and assets.’

“Fast forward to 2026, Tangsiri is now dead. His successor will now live with a credible military threat over his life should he terrorize the United States and our allies and partners.”

UANI has been tracking Tangsiri’s threats to maritime security for years. UANI’s resource, Iran’s Threat to Maritime Security, lists the many attacks on freedom of navigation that have occurred under Tangsiri’s tenure as commander of the IRGC’s Navy. His long record of aggression against America predated Operation Epic Fury by over a decade.