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(https://rumcdn.geoedge.be/f7ae3efe-f9e8-44be-8cf9-3b564afd5f4b/grumi-ip.js)  (https://widgets.outbrain.com/outbrain.js)  (https://btloader.com/tag?o=5119785225420800&upapi=true)  (https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=GTM-T4BJGTM)   (../../manifest.json)  (../../../images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-16.png)  (../../../images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-32.png)  (../../../images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-192.png)  (https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-180.png)  (https://fonts.gstatic.com)  (https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js)  Israel assassinated Iran's navy chief, fearing he would be a dangerous IRGC head | The Jerusalem Post      (article-911089.html)                     (Jerusalem Post) (https://www.jpost.com/) (The Jerusalem Post - Israel News) (The Jerusalem Post - Israel News)    (CONFERENCES) (https://www.jpost.com/conferences) CONFERENCES  (ISRAEL NEWS) (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news) ISRAEL NEWS  (WORLD NEWS) (https://www.jpost.com/international) WORLD NEWS  (MIDDLE EAST) (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east) MIDDLE EAST  (BUSINESS & INNOVATION) (https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation) BUSINESS & INNOVATION  (DEFENSE & TECH) (https://defense-and-tech.jpost.com/) DEFENSE & TECH  (OPINION) (https://www.jpost.com/opinion) OPINION  (JP STORE) (https://store.jpost.com/) JP STORE   (https://www.jpost.com/PayWalllogin) Login    (Search) ()           (https://www.jpost.com/PayWalllogin) Login (https://payments.jpost.com/paywall/paywallpersonaldetails) Subscribe    (https://www.jpost.com/magazineprint/digitallibrary) JPOST DIGITAL LIBRARY  (https://www.jpost.com/) HOME PAGE  (https://www.jpost.com/jerusalem-report) THE JERUSALEM REPORT  (https://defense-and-tech.jpost.com/) DEFENSE & TECH  (https://www.jpost.com/tags/education) JPOST HIGHER EDUCATION  (https://www.jpost.com/opinion) OPINION  BUSINESS & INNOVATION      (https://realestate.jpost.com/) REAL ESTATE LISTINGS  (https://www.jpost.com/aliyah) ALIYAH  (https://www.jpost.com/conferences) JERUSALEM POST CONFERENCE  PREMIUM      (https://store.jpost.com/) JP STORE  Categories  ISRAEL NEWS      WORLD NEWS      MIDDLE EAST      (https://www.jpost.com/american-politics) US POLITICS  DIASPORA      (https://www.jpost.com/opinion) OPINION  PODCAST      JUDAISM      (https://www.jpost.com/kabbalah) KABBALAH  CHRISTIAN WORLD      HEALTH & WELLNESS      (https://www.jpost.com/science) SCIENCE  (https://www.jpost.com/law) LAW  ARCHAEOLOGY      (https://www.jpost.com/omg) OMG  (https://www.jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change) ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE  (https://www.jpost.com/food-recipes) FOOD & RECIPES  (https://www.jpost.com/history) HISTORY   (https://www.jpost.com/special-content) SPONSORED CONTENT  (https://www.jpost.com/advertise) ADVERTISE WITH US  (https://www.jpost.com/landedpages/termsofservice.aspx) TERMS OF USE  (https://www.jpost.com/landedpages/privacypolicy.aspx) PRIVACY POLICY  (https://www.jpost.com/contactus) CONTACT US  (https://www.jpost.com/customer-service/cancel-subscription) CANCEL SUBSCRIPTION  (https://www.jpost.com/customer-service) CUSTOMER SERVICE  (https://www.jpost.com/landedpages/aboutus.aspx) ABOUT US       (https://www.jpost.com/) Jerusalem Post /  (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east) Middle East /  (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news) Iran News   Israel assassinated Iran's navy chief over fears he could lead a more dangerous IRGC - exclusive Israeli officials viewed Alireza Tangsiri as a highly creative and resourceful commander, fearing he could become a more formidable IRGC chief than Ahmad Vahidi, The Jerusalem Post has learned.  (Share)         (https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=https://www.jpost.com/)      Follow us on Google     (Posters featuring portraits of the late Alireza Tangsiri and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are held by attendees of a funeral procession for IRGC Navy Chief Alireza Tangsiri, alongside other senior naval commanders and their families who were killed in US-Israeli strikes in late March, on April 1, 2026.) (Posters featuring portraits of the late Alireza Tangsiri and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are held by attendees of a funeral procession for IRGC Navy Chief Alireza Tangsiri, alongside other senior naval commanders and their families who were killed in US-Israeli strikes in late March, on April 1, 2026.)   Posters featuring portraits of the late Alireza Tangsiri and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are held by attendees of a funeral procession for IRGC Navy Chief Alireza Tangsiri, alongside other senior naval commanders and their families who were killed in US-Israeli strikes in late March, on April 1, 2026. (photo credit: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images )    By (https://www.jpost.com/author/yonah-jeremy-bob) YONAH JEREMY BOB    OCTOBER 8, 2026 18:33   One of the key reasons for the assassination of (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-903217) Iran navy chief Alireza Tangsiri by Israel on March 26 was the concern of top Israeli officials that he could emerge as the next head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, The Jerusalem Post has learned.  He would have been a much tougher adversary than (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-891708) Ahmad Vahidi , who eventually became the new IRGC chief.   Many top Israeli officials viewed Tangsiri as a highly creative and resourceful commander, whereas Vahidi was largely seen as a deputy to a deputy of top commanders, lacking the power to shape the broader security posture.  These revelations come out following recent reports, first in Yediot Aharonot and later confirmed by the Post , that around March 19, Cooper made a secret call to IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir to request that Israel eliminate Tangsiri, considered a (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-911058) serious threat to the Strait of Hormuz and the naval conflict in general.  Zamir approved, and on March 26, (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-891240) Israel assassinated Tangsiri .   (A banner showing the face of Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' navy alongside others killed in US-Israeli strikes on Iran, is displayed during their funeral at Enghelab Square in Tehran on April 1, 2026.)  A banner showing the face of Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' navy alongside others killed in US-Israeli strikes on Iran, is displayed during their funeral at Enghelab Square in Tehran on April 1, 2026. (credit: AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)    US request to eliminate Tangsiri raises questions over Iranian naval mining threat  The Post has also disclosed several other details about the assassination in recent reports, including the crucial role of the (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-909872) Israeli Navy in providing intelligence.  This incident raised the question of why would Cooper secretly call Zamir on March 19 to ask him to remove Tangsiri as a threat, if US sources want to claim in general that Iran was not carrying out significant, real sea-mining until the conflict paused sometime in mid-April - something the Post can now also reveal.  The Post has learned that the US was confused and had varying levels of confidence when they learned of Iranian discussions about what Tehran was really thinking about doing regarding mining.   Whatever the concerns were, both Israeli and American sources have acknowledged that they were not the same as issuing actual orders on the matter.  In that sense, the Post understands that Cooper’s call to Zamir was, in many senses, a call for a preemptive move to head off a possible future strategic problem.   From the Israeli perspective, there were multiple reasons to assassinate Tangsiri, including concerns about his potential future role in the IRGC, and Cooper’s call helped push forward an operation that already had support.    The Midnight Dispatch The one email that makes sense of the Middle East. Iran, the Gulf, Syria, Turkey, and whatever moved that day, from The Jerusalem Post, every evening.  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