Iran War Live Updates: Israel Targets Iranian Navy Commander in Airstrike, Israeli Officials Say

Israel’s military targeted Alireza Tangsiri, who has played a pivotal role in shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, according to three Israeli officials.

Updated 

March 26, 2026, 5:54 a.m. ET9 minutes ago

Adam RasgonNatan OdenheimerRonen Bergman and Francesca Regalado

Here’s the latest

The Israeli military targeted the naval commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in an airstrike in southern Iran on Thursday, three Israeli officials said, taking aim at the leadership of a force that has played a pivotal role in shutting down the Strait of Hormuz.

The commander, Alireza Tangsiri, was in an apartment hide-out with other Revolutionary Guards officers at the time of the strike, according to two of the officials, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Tangsiri had survived the strike.

In addition to leading the naval force that has helped block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas route, Mr. Tangsiri has overseen its testing of drones and cruise missiles, according to the U.S. Treasury, which imposed sanctions on him in 2019 and 2023. In recent weeks, he had repeatedly posted on social media about Iran’s closure of the strait and about attacks carried out by the Guards’ navy.

The commander was targeted as the United States and Iran showed little public sign that they were close to starting talks to end the war after nearly four weeks of fighting. The Israeli military said on Thursday that it had struck targets in Isfahan, a city in central Iran, and elsewhere in the country. It said that it had detected missiles launched from Iran toward Israel, reporting at least one impact.

Iran also launched fresh strikes against U.S. allies and sites in the Persian Gulf. Iran said that it had targeted a U.S. military base in Kuwait and an air base used by U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia with drones and missiles. It was not immediately clear if those attacks had caused damage to either base.

The United Arab Emirates’ air defenses responded to Iranian missiles and drones, the country’s defense ministry said, and falling debris from a missile interception over the U.A.E. killed two people, the authorities in Abu Dhabi said.

Tehran and Washington have both given mixed signals about the prospect of peace talks.

President Trump has said that Iran is willing to negotiate because it is close to defeat. But the Pentagon has also ordered the deployment of about 2,000 more soldiers to the Middle East, bringing recent regional deployments to nearly 7,000 and suggesting it is preparing for continued fighting.

Privately, as late as Tuesday, Iranian officials had signaled that they were open to negotiations. Publicly, however, Iran has so far dismissed Mr. Trump’s proposal and insisted that the fighting would end only on Tehran’s terms.

Amid the seeming impasse, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has ordered the military to attack as much of Iran’s arms industry as possible this week, according to two senior Israeli officials and two people briefed on the matter. The instructions reflected Israeli concern that Mr. Trump might end the war before its key aims are achieved, the officials said.

Here’s what else we’re covering:

• Hardening demands: The United States has circulated a 15-point peace plan, diplomats said, calling for what would amount to a complete termination of Iran’s nuclear program and strict limits on its missile arsenal. Iran said in comments carried on state television Wednesday that Iran would not end its attacks unless the United States paid war reparations and recognized Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz.

• Death tolls: Iran’s U.N. ambassador said that at least 1,348 civilians have been killed in the country since the war began — a toll that has not been updated since March 11. Almost 1,100 people in Lebanon have been killed, the authorities there said on Wednesday. At least 15 people were killed in Iranian attacks on Israel, officials said. The American death toll stands at 13 service members.

• United States: Several Congressional Republicans left classified Pentagon briefings on Capitol Hill on Wednesday expressing frustration at what they said was a lack of detailed information about the Trump administration’s next steps in the war. Republicans have given Mr. Trump broad latitude to wage war without congressional input and resisted summoning administration officials for public accountability.

• Lebanon: The Israeli military said that one of its soldiers had been killed in southern Lebanon. At least three Israeli soldiers have been killed in the area since fighting intensified between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia, in early March.