Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Monday mourned IRGC Navy Chief Commodore Alireza Tangsiri, calling him a “brave commander” who “attained martyrdom after years of struggle,” according to state news agency IRNA.
Khamenei also described Tangsiri as courageous and central to Iran’s role in the Persian Gulf, adding that he “died for his country” so its military “may continue on the path of Iran’s maritime authority and resistance, stronger and more firmly than in the past.”
Tangsiri, 64, died of injuries sustained while on duty, the IRGC said, after working to strengthen Iran’s coastal defenses, though Israel says he was killed in an airstrike targeting a naval base in Bandar Abbas.
This marks only the fourth public written message from Khamenei since succeeding his father, who died in a strike Feb. 28.
Fox News’ Emma Bussey contributed to this report.
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