IRGC Navy Chief Threatens Israel and US at Khamenei Funeral

Times of Israel liveblogged at 15:11 IDT that Rear Adm. Ali Ozmaei, identified as the new IRGC Navy chief, warned that "divine retribution" against Israel and the United States was near while Iran staged funeral rites for Ali Khamenei. Press TV, Tasnim and Mehr carried the underlying Iranian statement, saying IRGC naval forces guarding the Strait of Hormuz pledged to continue Khamenei's path after his February 28 killing. The threat is propaganda, but it matters because the IRGC Navy sits on a chokepoint Iran has repeatedly used for coercion. Israel should treat the message as deterrence theater from a battered regime, not as legitimacy for terror or maritime blackmail.