🔗 Share this article ‘A Critical Scenario’: War on Iran Squeezes India's LPG Availability. People queue up to buy LPG tanks for home cooking in an urban center. The repercussions of a conflict being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now impacting India's homes. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupt energy transports through the Strait of Hormuz, supplies of kitchen fuel are tightening across India, pushing restaurants to cut menus, reduce operating times and in some cases close completely. Social media is filled with video clips showing crowds outside LPG distributors across Indian cities and towns as anxieties over fuel supplies spread. Commercial LPG users appear the hardest struck: the biggest crunch is in restaurant kitchens. "The state of affairs is alarming. Kitchen fuel simply is unavailable," says a official of the an industry group. Most eateries run either on business-grade gas tanks or direct gas lines, and the shortages are now being noticed across the country. "A lot of restaurants have closed - some in Delhi, many in the southern region. People are switching to solid fuels and electronic appliances to keep food preparation going." Localized Effects In Mumbai, accounts say up to a significant portion of hotels and restaurants are already operating at reduced capacity as commercial LPG supplies dwindle. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some eateries say their cylinder inventory have dwindled with little backup. "Coffee is the sole item we can prepare and nothing else - it is extremely difficult. Operations will be impacted," says a business operator in Bengaluru. A restaurant in Chennai which has closed its doors due to a shortage of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are seeking alternatives. "Food options are being cut, some are opening only for dinner and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that stoppages are changing as supplies ebb and flow. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a dynamic scenario." Retailers report a surge in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are selling out quickly. Government Stance Yet, the authorities insists there is adequate supply. India has more than 300 million household consumers and officials say stocks are being prioritized to households as geopolitical strain from the Middle East conflict ripple through energy markets. Roughly a majority of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about nine out of ten of those consignments pass through the critical waterway, the narrow Gulf chokepoint now significantly disrupted by the conflict. The petroleum ministry says that it instructed refineries to maximise LPG output for home needs, enhancing domestic production by about 25%. Commercial stock is being allocated for vital industries such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "equitable and clear". "Unnecessary hoarding and accumulation has been triggered by misinformation. The standard supply timeline for home fuel remains about 60 hours," says a government spokesperson. Widening Concern Now the concern is moving beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a extended procession of scooters outside a fuel station. "Concern is genuine," the caption reads. India sources up to most of the crude it consumes, leaving it highly exposed to interruptions in global supplies. According to data from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be premature. India imports the overwhelming majority of its oil. Around half of its petroleum shipments - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Middle Eastern nations. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the shortfall could be partly offset by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst. Based on vessel tracking and expert analysis, increased Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, reducing India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day. "Around 25-30 million Russian oil barrels are currently floating on ships in the Indian Ocean and, with only key buyers as major buyers, those barrels remain a ready fallback," an analyst noted. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The primary concern is cooking gas, commentators observe. India consumes roughly one million barrels a day, but produces only a minority share domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint. Refineries can adjust processes to extract a bit more LPG, but even a moderate increase would only lift domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports. In short: "Petroleum shortage concerns can be somewhat alleviated through alternative sourcing. Processed petroleum stocks remains fairly adequate. Kitchen fuel stocks is the critical issue to track in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the panic on the ground is not just tight supply but uneven distribution - and the familiar spectre of panic buying. An industry representative states exploitative practices. "Distributors are exploiting the situation - black-marketing cylinders and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being stockpiled and sold to the highest bidder." For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by worldwide shipping. But in restaurants across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.
People queue up to buy LPG tanks for home cooking in an urban center. The repercussions of a conflict being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now impacting India's homes. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupt energy transports through the Strait of Hormuz, supplies of kitchen fuel are tightening across India, pushing restaurants to cut menus, reduce operating times and in some cases close completely. Social media is filled with video clips showing crowds outside LPG distributors across Indian cities and towns as anxieties over fuel supplies spread. Commercial LPG users appear the hardest struck: the biggest crunch is in restaurant kitchens. "The state of affairs is alarming. Kitchen fuel simply is unavailable," says a official of the an industry group. Most eateries run either on business-grade gas tanks or direct gas lines, and the shortages are now being noticed across the country. "A lot of restaurants have closed - some in Delhi, many in the southern region. People are switching to solid fuels and electronic appliances to keep food preparation going." Localized Effects In Mumbai, accounts say up to a significant portion of hotels and restaurants are already operating at reduced capacity as commercial LPG supplies dwindle. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some eateries say their cylinder inventory have dwindled with little backup. "Coffee is the sole item we can prepare and nothing else - it is extremely difficult. Operations will be impacted," says a business operator in Bengaluru. A restaurant in Chennai which has closed its doors due to a shortage of cooking gas. Restaurant managers are seeking alternatives. "Food options are being cut, some are opening only for dinner and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that stoppages are changing as supplies ebb and flow. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a dynamic scenario." Retailers report a surge in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are selling out quickly. Government Stance Yet, the authorities insists there is adequate supply. India has more than 300 million household consumers and officials say stocks are being prioritized to households as geopolitical strain from the Middle East conflict ripple through energy markets. Roughly a majority of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about nine out of ten of those consignments pass through the critical waterway, the narrow Gulf chokepoint now significantly disrupted by the conflict. The petroleum ministry says that it instructed refineries to maximise LPG output for home needs, enhancing domestic production by about 25%. Commercial stock is being allocated for vital industries such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "equitable and clear". "Unnecessary hoarding and accumulation has been triggered by misinformation. The standard supply timeline for home fuel remains about 60 hours," says a government spokesperson. Widening Concern Now the concern is moving beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a extended procession of scooters outside a fuel station. "Concern is genuine," the caption reads. India sources up to most of the crude it consumes, leaving it highly exposed to interruptions in global supplies. According to data from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be premature. India imports the overwhelming majority of its oil. Around half of its petroleum shipments - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Middle Eastern nations. Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the shortfall could be partly offset by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst. Based on vessel tracking and expert analysis, increased Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, reducing India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day. "Around 25-30 million Russian oil barrels are currently floating on ships in the Indian Ocean and, with only key buyers as major buyers, those barrels remain a ready fallback," an analyst noted. LPG: The Real Vulnerability The primary concern is cooking gas, commentators observe. India consumes roughly one million barrels a day, but produces only a minority share domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint. Refineries can adjust processes to extract a bit more LPG, but even a moderate increase would only lift domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports. In short: "Petroleum shortage concerns can be somewhat alleviated through alternative sourcing. Processed petroleum stocks remains fairly adequate. Kitchen fuel stocks is the critical issue to track in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the panic on the ground is not just tight supply but uneven distribution - and the familiar spectre of panic buying. An industry representative states exploitative practices. "Distributors are exploiting the situation - black-marketing cylinders and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being stockpiled and sold to the highest bidder." For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by worldwide shipping. But in restaurants across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.