Israel claims to have 'blown up' and killed Iranian Navy chief responsible for shutting down Strait of Hormuz
Israel claims is has killed the Iranian Navy chief responsible for closing down Strait of Hormuz.
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Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy chief Alireza Tangsiri is said to have been 'blown up' in a targeted strike, a figure who has overseen the blocking of the crucial trade route, according to Israel.
Speaking on Thursday, Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz says Tangsiri was "directly responsible for the terrorist act of bombing and blocking the Strait of Hormuz", and has been "blown up".
He claims the strike also took out a number of other "senior Navy command officials".
Iran is yet to officially confirm claims made by Israel that Tangsiri was fatally wounded in the targeted account.
Read more: Two killed after Iranian missile intercepted over Abu Dhabi
It comes as Trump told Iranian leaders "get serious soon, before it is too late" as tensions continue to rise amid negotiations with Iran, after the state rejected the latest US 'peace proposal'.
Tangsiri was killed “along with senior naval command officials,” Katz said, adding he'd been "taken out".
The IRGC Navy is separate branch of the Iranian Navy and runs parallel Iranian's main Navy.
If confirmed, the death would be the latest high-profile IRGC leader to die in a targeted attack at the hands of Israel, with several other senior regime figures taken out in recent months.
Taking to his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday, Trump branded Iran's negotiators "very different" and "strange".
Tehran has allegedly begun charging the trickle of ships it's letting through the waterway for safe passage.
It comes amid data which shows diesel prices have risen by nearly a quarter since the start of the conflict, with the price up 23% from 142.4p on February 28.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that messages had been exchanged through intermediaries - as Trump insisted Iran was engaging in negotiations.
Donald Trump was also seen to hit out at Nato in a recent social media post, criticising Nato countries while adding that the US does not need the alliance's help.
He says: "NATO NATIONS HAVE DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO HELP WITH THE LUNATIC NATION, NOW MILITARILY DECIMATED, OF IRAN. THE U.S.A. NEEDS NOTHING FROM NATO, BUT 'NEVER FORGET' THIS VERY IMPORTANT POINT IN TIME!"