87 bodies were recovered and<\/a> 32 people were rescued. At least 180 people were believed to be on board when Iris Dena sank on Wednesday. <\/p>\nBut while the Indian Navy acknowledged receiving distress signals from the Iranian ship, neither the force nor prime minister Narendra Modi\u2019s government condemned the decision by the US to attack the warship. Critics have called this incident a \u201cstrategic embarrassment\u201d for the Modi administration. <\/p>\n
C Uday Bhaskar, a retired navy officer told Al Jazeera that the incident weakened Delhi\u2019s credibility in the Indian Ocean, while the government\u2019s silence about it meant the country\u2019s moral standing \u201ctakes a beating\u201d. <\/p>\n
Mr Modi has also been tight-lipped about Khamenei\u2019s assassination. <\/p>\n
![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Locals-gather-outside-Babul-Ilm-Masjid-in-Jamia-after-8pm-amid-police-presence.jpeg\")
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People gather outside Babul Ilm Masjid in Jamia amid police presence (Namita Singh\/The Independent)<\/p>\n
On Thursday, four days after the supreme leader\u2019s death, India sent its condolences to Tehran. Foreign secretary Vikram Misri met the Iranian ambassador in Delhi and signed the condolence book for Khamenei’s death \u201con behalf of the people and the government of India\u201d, according to Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Indian foreign ministry. <\/p>\n
Iran, however, continues to value its close relationship with India and hopes the partnership will deepen further, according to a representative of the slain supreme leader.<\/p>\n
Speaking to The Independent, the Iranian representative, Dr Abdul Majid Hakeem Elahi, described relations between the two countries as strong and longstanding, both at the governmental and people-to-people level. <\/p>\n
He was responding to a question about the absence of direct condemnation from Modi. \u201cWe have till now very good relationship with India. Whether it is with the people or the government. It is very tight. During the last decades, our relationship has increased and we hope that will also continue our relationship and friendship. And other countries cannot break our relationship and friendship,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added that Iran\u2019s leadership had consistently encouraged stronger engagement with India across multiple sectors. \u201cAnd even Ayatollah Khamenei, I heard from him so often, he was insistent on establishing very very tight and good relationship with India. He advised, the Iranian government that India is your priority and you have to establish your relationship tightly. You make it wider in different fields, including economics, technology. In every field.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the grief of those mourning Khamenei\u2019s killing in India is not punctuated by the financial and strategic worries bothering the Indian leadership. For his supporters, the slain supreme leader was not just a political figure but a religious guide whose influence extended well beyond Iran.<\/p>\n
Mourners in black clothing \u2013 traditionally worn during periods of mourning in Shia Islam \u2013 arrived in small groups at an evening gathering outside a mosque in Delhi. Large portraits of Khamenei hung on the walls behind the speakers. A group of men sang a song in his memory while prayers were read aloud. Some women wept quietly, while others sat silently at the back, declining to speak.<\/p>\n
Among those attending was Dr Muhammad Ali, a retired horticulture researcher in Delhi. \u201cI felt as if I had been orphaned again,\u201d Ali says. \u201cThe last time I felt that way was when my parents died. Now it feels as if all Shias have been orphaned.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cKhamenei sa\u2019ab has been martyred,\u201d he says, adding that the timing of his death deepened the sense of shock among many believers. \u201cIt happened during the holy month of Ramadan.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven in times of conflict, this is considered a sacred time and wars are stopped,\u201d Ali says.<\/p>\n
![\"Shi\u2019ite](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Demonstration-following-the-killing-of-Irans-Supreme-Leader-Ayatollah-Ali-Khamenei-in-Israeli-and-U..jpeg\")
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Shi\u2019ite Muslim men protest and chant anti-US and anti-Israel slogans during a demonstration following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Israeli and US strikes on Saturday, in Magam town, Central Kashmir (Reuters)<\/p>\n
Syed Javed Zaheer, a 62-year-old man from Muzaffarpur in the eastern state of Bihar, says many in the community were still struggling to come to terms with the news.<\/p>\n
He says the teachings of Iran\u2019s clerical leadership shaped how many Shia Muslims view their relationship with the countries in which they lived. \u201cThey taught us to love our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Shi\u2019ite](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/India-Iran-US-Israel-Protest-qj41takv.jpeg\")
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Shi\u2019ite Muslims shout slogans during a candlelit protest against the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, 4 March 2026 (AP)<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are many Muslim countries,\u201d he says. \u201cBut for us, Iran is the only Islamic country.\u201d <\/p>\n
Dr Muddassir Quamar, an associate professor at the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University in India\u2019s capital city, says the position of Iran\u2019s supreme leader is rooted in a theological concept known as the Velayat-e-Faqih or the \u201cguardianship of the jurist\u201d in Twelver Shi\u2019ism.<\/p>\n
![\"Indian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Kashmiri-Muslims-Protest-Killing-Of-Iranian-Superme-Leader-325bda5n.jpeg\")
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Indian policemen baton charge Kashirimi Shiite Muslim protester during a protest march against the US and Israel, after Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in Israeli and US on 2 March 2026 in Srinagar, India (Getty)<\/p>\n
Twelver Shi\u2019ism, the largest branch of Shia Islam, believes in twelve divinely appointed leaders, known as Imams, as the rightful spiritual and political successors to the Prophet Muhammad.<\/p>\n
The idea of Velayat-e-Faqih, he explains, is that a senior Islamic cleric should guide both the religious and political life of the country. In Iran\u2019s system, this means the supreme leader \u2013 known as the Rahbar-e-Azam \u2013 is both the highest religious authority and the most powerful political figure in the Islamic Republic. <\/p>\n
Quamar says the concept of Velayat-e-Faqih emerged as a way for senior clerics to guide the community in the Imam\u2019s absence, which is why Iran\u2019s supreme leader holds both religious and political authority.<\/p>\n
Because of this dual authority, Quamar says the position carries influence far beyond Iran. \u201cTwelver Shias across Arab and Islamic world including in South Asia consider him as a spiritual and political leader, and look up to the Supreme Leader to lead the Shiite and Islamic world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, the sense of anti-imperialism and anti-Americanism is embedded in the revolutionary ideals of the Islamic Republic, and since the current supreme leader was killed in the US-Israel strike, it has further fueled protests across the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Pakistan, with the world\u2019s second-largest Shi’ite Muslim community after Iran, at least 26 people were killed as protesters clashed with police following news of the death of Khamenei. In Karachi, US Marines fired on protesters who breached the walls of the consulate, two US officials said. Senior Shia clerics in Pakistan announced days of mourning and warned that more protests would follow, \u200bwhich could lead to bursts of instability in its main cities, analysts said.<\/p>\n
Khamenei’s “death has not weakened the Shi’ites but united them with a new spirit of revolution and independence from the slavery of \u200bthe US and its allies,” Shia cleric Sajid Ali Naqvi told Reuters. Shias make up about one-fifth of Pakistan’s 240 million people. The vast majority of Pakistan’s people are Sunni Muslims.<\/p>\n
In India, however, the demonstrations are likely to remain limited.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, it is mostly located in the areas with significant Shia population. In my view, these are localised and sporadic and is unlikely to develop into a bigger organised movement,\u201d Quamar says.<\/p>\n
He adds the protests are driven largely by religious solidarity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is unlikely to spread further, and would settle down, although it would also depend on the situation in Iran and the direction of the ongoing war.\u201d <\/p>\n
In Srinagar, protesters gathered at the city\u2019s landmark Lal Chowk and climbed the clock tower. Several others sang eulogies and wept. There were gatherings in surrounding districts, including Budgam and Bandipora.<\/p>\n
Authorities later sealed the clock tower and imposed restrictions across several parts of the valley. Curbs on movement and assembly remained in place for three consecutive days, particularly in areas with large Shia populations.<\/p>\n
Educational institutions were closed until 7 March as a precaution, while mobile internet speed was throttled. Police and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force personnel were deployed across the city, with barricades and concertina wire placed at key intersections.<\/p>\n
![\"Shiite](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/India-US-Israel-Iran-Protest-jz9gs7j0.jpeg\")
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Shiite Muslims run for cover as Indian police use tear gas and batons during a protest against the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, 2 March 2026 (AP)<\/p>\n
Protests were also reported in the federal territory of Ladakh, including in Leh and Kargil, where men and women dressed in black marched carrying portraits of Khamenei. In Lucknow, hundreds gathered at the historic Rumi Gate holding black flags and photographs of the Iranian leader. Authorities say the gatherings were largely peaceful.<\/p>\n
Kashmir\u2019s lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha chaired a security review meeting and appealed for calm, saying peace was a shared responsibility. Chief minister Omar Abdullah also urged residents to avoid actions that could create tension.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":326907,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-326906","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=326906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326906\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/326907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=326906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=326906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=326906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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