The Editorial Page: As Iran confronts existential threat, its minorities will shape the contest 8 WeDneSDAy, MArch 4, 2026 Journalism of Courage AhMedAbAd, lAte cIty, 20 PAgeS ₹5.00 l www.indianexpress.com dA I ly f R o M : A h M e dA b A d , c h A N d I gA R h , d e l h I , j A I P u R , ko l k AtA , lu c k N o W , M u M b A I , N Ag P u R , PAt N A , P u N e , vA d o dA R A Happening today lPresident of finland Alexander Stubb begins his four-day state visit, during which he is scheduled to hold talks with PM Narendra Modi. Track These and more on www.indianexpress.com iaea Confirms iran’s natanz nUClear faCility hit; israel sends trooPs to soUth lebanon Someone from within best choice Mea told Commerce it didn’t recommend for iran, says Trump as war rages ‘ministerial meeting’ jeffrey ePstein shadow with Bill Gates Israel pounds Tehran, Beirut; Iran hits Tel Aviv, US embassy in Saudi Arabia associated Press & reuters the Indian express wishes its readers A Happy Holi We are closed today. there will be no edition of the newspaper on thursday, March 5, 2026. Business as Usual By eP Unny Washington, Dubai, Tel Aviv, March 3 SHEDDING SOME light for the first time on his future plans for Iran, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said “someonefromwithin”theIranianregimemightbethebestchoiceto take power once the military campaign is over. Earlier in the day, Trump had shut the door on talks with Iran, saying that it was “too late” — even as explosions tore through Tehran and Beirut on the fourth day of theUS-Israelmilitaryoperation against Iran. “Their air defense, Air Force, Navy, and Leadership is gone. They want totalk.Isaid“TooLate!”Trump said in a Truth Social post on Tuesday.Laterintheday,speaking at the White House while welcomingGermanChancellor FriedrichMerz,hegaveahinton Iran's post-conflict future. Back on the battlefront, Iranian drones slammed into the US embassy in Saudi Arabia, »ContinUed on PaGe 2 GravesbeingpreparedforthosekilledinaUs-Israelistrikeonagirls’schoolinminab,Iran.Localmediareportssaidover160werekilledin saturday’sstrike.TheUnhumanrightsofficehascalledforaninvestigationintotheincident. ReuteRS morereporTs,paGes4, 15,17,18 Bill Gates arrived in India on February 16 and met andhra pradesh chief minister n chandrababu naidu in amaravati. x/@NcbN India has ‘reasonably On Govt table: Diaspora comfortable’ oil stocks, safety, fuel price cushion enough for 6-8 weeks for middle class at home harikishan sharma sukalp sharma New Delhi, March 3 INDIA HAS crude oil and fuel stocksforsixtoeightweeksand is in a “reasonably comfortable” situation to prevent any near-term supply shortage of major fuels like petrol, diesel, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, a senior official from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) said Tuesday. The conflict has led to the »ContinUed on PaGe 2 The Big PicTure The Gulf Stream PaGe 16 express news service New Delhi, March 3 ASTHEIranwarrages,thegovernment is preparing on three key fronts: safety of Indian citizens in West Asian countries, protecting the middle class from any impact of oil prices, and aligning its diplomatic outreach in the region with national interest in mind. Accordingtoseniorgovernmentfunctionaries,thesethree issues were discussed in detail at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee of Security on Sun- day,March1.Subsequently,key ministries including civil aviation, petroleum and natural gas, were also roped in to prepare for a situation where the war drags on for longer than expected. The internal assessment is that the war may get over in a week’s time, top sources said, butaddedthatthegovernment is preparing for the worst i.e., the war carrying on for six months. “War ending in 6-7 daysisahighprobabilityevent, but we are being cautious and »ContinUed on PaGe 2 New Delhi, March 3 THE MINISTRy ofExternalAffairs advised the Commerce Ministry against a “ministerial meeting” with Microsoft cofounderandphilanthropistBill Gates during his visit to India express exclusive last month amid renewed globalscrutinyoverGates’sassociations with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, »ContinUed on PaGe 2 25-yr-old from Diu among 3 Indians killed in attacks on vessels off Oman coast divya a & Kamal saiyed New Delhi, Surat, March 3 THREE INDIAN nationals are feared dead in two separate incidentsduringtheIran-Israel conflict,owingtoattacksbythe Iranian side on merchant shippingvesselsofftheOmancoast. An Indian national, identified as Dixit Solanki, 25, was killed on Monday when an explosive-ladendroneboatstruck »ContinUed on PaGe 2 Ahmedabad