FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 15 No. 258 | BHOPAL | MONDAY | MARCH 2, 2026 | Pages 12 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Sports Healy’s heavenly goodbye - 158 reasons to remember P.10 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL MONEY Oil’s risk premium is back! UJJAIN PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit India redefining Israel equation P.6 Nation I love my India, I’m not corrupt: Kejri P.7 WEST ASIA ON THE BOIL | Israel says it has launched fresh attacks on ‘the heart of Tehran’ KHAMENEI ELIMINATED, WAR ESCALATES Trump says it gives Iranians ‘greatest chance’ to ‘take back’ their country Agencies DUBAI Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the United States, throwing the future of the Islamic Republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86year-old's death early Sunday. US President Donald Trump said it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” was to continue through the week or as long as necessary. Iran responded by firing drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf, and also at the global business hub of Dubai. Earlier Sunday, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened to launch its “most intense offensive operation” ever targeting Israel and US bases. Israel also continued its attacks on Iran with an enormous strike that targeted Tehran. Omani port struck by Iran ALIREZA ARAFI TO LEAD Ayatollah Ali Khamenei The Omani port of Duqm, which Iran struck on Sunday, has been used by the US Navy as a logistical hub and is capable of hosting aircraft carriers. The US and Oman signed a strategic framework agreement in 2019 that expanded the Navy's access to Omani ports by allowing ships to dock in Duqm and Salalah. Iran has appointed Alireza Arafi as the jurist member of its temporary Leadership Council following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes, according to state media. The appointment occurred on Sunday, as reported by the ISNA news agency. Arafi, a cleric and member of the Guardian Council, joins President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei on the council, which handles the supreme leader's duties until the Assembly of Experts selects a successor. State media repeated the announcement, noting Arafi's role in the interim body. British warplanes on the mark 4Continued on | P8 Alireza Arafi A plume of smoke rises from a warehouse at the industrial area of Sharjah City in the UAE NOW WHAT Hundreds from MP stranded in Dubai, Sharjah PM to chair » The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps pledges revenge and says it has launched attacks on 27 bases hosting US troops in the Middle East, as well as Israeli military facilities in Tel Aviv. Explosions continue to be heard in Qatar and the UAE. » US President Donald Trump warns Iran it will be hit “with a force that has never been seen before” if it hits “very hard today”. » Iran’s government says an interim council, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, will oversee the country until a new supreme leader is elected. Iranian state media say at least 201 people have been killed in the attacks across 24 provinces. » Iran’s retaliatory attacks have targeted Israel and US assets in multiple Middle East countries, including Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Oman. » Several countries across the region have shut their airspace amid the exchange of attacks. Over 100 passengers from Madhya Pradesh are stranded at Dubai and Sharjah airports amid the escalating Iran-US conflict, leaving families in Bhopal and other districts anxious about the safety of their loved ones. According to information received, following the attack, airports in Dubai have been closed and flights to and from the city have been cancelled indefinitely. According to information, a flight from Sharjah to Indore scheduled to depart at 12.20 pm UAE time was cancelled at the last minute. Pg3 Mourning in Bhopal Members of the Muslim community in Bhopal mourned the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died in a US-Israeli attack. Prayer and protest meetings were organised by the Shia and Sunni communities at Karond and Fatehgarh Imambada on Sunday, where mourners chanted anti-US and anti-Israel slogans while expressing their grief. Pg3 CM to conduct surprise inspections of police stations Peace and harmony to be ensured in MP amid US-Iran unrest Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Chief Minister Mohan Yadav conducted a law and order review meeting at the Commissioner of Police office in Bhopal on Sunday and said he would carry out surprise fp inspections of police stations in the coming days. The Chief Minister reviewed police preparedness in view of the upcoming festivals of Holi, Eid and Navratri. During the meeting, Yadav said he would con- duct surprise inspections and directed police personnel at stations to remain alert. He also asked officials to keep a close watch on developments in Iran and other countries in the wake of the US-Iran unrest. He directed them to maintain peace, harmony and law and order in the state. Director General of Police Kailash Makwana, Commissioner of Police Sanjay Kumar and other senior officers were present at the meeting. 18 killed, 24 hurt in Nagpur explosives factory blast Briefs BHOPAL 2-day public holiday on Holi PTI The state government has declared a two-day public holiday on Holi on March 3 and 4. It is for the first time that the government has declared two days' holiday on Holi. Earlier, the government had declared a Holi holiday on March 3, while March 4 has been declared a holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act. NAGPUR Jasprit Bumrah and teammates celebrate the wicket of West Indies Roston Chase as host marched into the semifinal scoring six wickets victory during their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 Group 1 match ANI (West Indies innings detail report on Sports Page) At least 18 workers were charred to death, and 24 others were injured, most of them critically, in a powerful blast that tore through an explosives manufacturing factory in Maharashtra's Nagpur district on Sunday morning, police said. The explosion occurred at the detonator packing unit of SBL Energy Limited, a mining and industrial explosives manufacturer, at Raulgaon in Katol tehsil between 7 AM and 7:15 AM. With one more person succumbing to injuries during treatment later in the day, the death toll has mounted to 18, a police officer said, adding that 24 injured workers are undergoing treatment at two hospitals in Nagpur. See Nation offgrid Yadav releases turtles, gharials into Kuno river Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL CM Mohan Yadav released turtles of endangered species and gharials into Kuno river in Sheopur on Sunday. A total of 33 turtles and 53 gharial were released into Kuno river as part of biodiversity conservation measures. The released tortoises were brought from Tortoise Centre, Barhai of Morena. Out of 33 turtles, 25 were three striped roofed turtles and 8 were Indian flap shelled turtles. The gharials were brought from Deori Gharial Centre. While releasing turtles into the river, CM highlighted the importance of biodiversity among aquatic animals and how they contribute to ecological balance. Notably, turtles and gharials are rare aquatic species found in Ganga and Brahmaputra river basins. They are invaluable components of biodiversity and play a crucial role in maintaining natural ecological balance of rivers. 4Continued on | P8 Cabinet meet on Security Putin, Hezbollah mourn Khamenei British defence minister John Healey said Iranian missile and drone strikes came within a few hundred yards (metres) of a group of 300 British military personnel in Bahrain and that two missiles were fired in the direction of Cyprus, where the UK has bases. “We don't believe they were targeted at Cyprus, but nevertheless, it's an example of how there is a very real and rising threat from a regime that is lashing out widely across the region, and that requires us to act,” Healey told Sky News. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was “a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law.” Putin on Sunday sent condolences to his Iranian counterpart, saying Khamenei will be remembered “as an outstanding statesman” who helped elevate RussianIranian relations. In Lebanon, the leader of the Iranianbacked Hezbollah militant group, Naim Kassem, mourned Khamenei's death in a US-Israeli strike. PAK ERUPTS; 12 KILLED US consulates attacked, UN office torched Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in the national capital on Sunday after concluding his twoday tour, GoI sources said. He is expected to land in Delhi around 9:30 pm. The meeting comes amid growing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East following US-Israel strikes on Iran. Protests erupted across Pakistan on Sunday after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in ongoing US-Israeli strikes on Tehran, triggering violent clashes, arson attacks and anti-US demonstrations in several Shia-majority regions. Violence was reported near the US Consulate in Karachi and Lahore, where hundreds of protesters gathered and vandalised property and set parts of the premises on fire, according to footage and media reports. In the northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan, protesters also set fire to a United Nations office in Skardu and damaged nearby buildings. Authorities across Pakistan tightened security around diplomatic sites and sensitive zones as tensions from the Iran war spilled into the country. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8