India, March 4 -- Members of Pune's Shia community have expressed deep anxiety over the assassination of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, in US-Israeli missile strikes on Iran on Saturday. Families in Pune with relatives in Iranian cities such as Tehran, Mashhad and Qom said that they are closely monitoring the situation amid reports of continued bombardment in key regions of the country. Community leaders however said that while there is concern for the safety of loved ones, there is no atmosphere of fear or panic but rather, grief and solidarity.

Several fifth-generation Irani families settled in Pune maintain close ties with relatives in Iran, and some students from Pune are currently pursuing religious studies ...