🔗 Share this article ‘An Alarming State of Affairs’: War on Iran Tightens India's LPG Supplies. People queue up to buy cooking gas cylinders for home cooking in an urban center. The shockwaves of a war being fought nearly 3,000km away are now being felt in India's households. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran impede energy shipments through the key maritime chokepoint, supplies of kitchen fuel are shrinking across India, pushing restaurants to shorten food lists, reduce operating times and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is filled with video clips showing lines outside cooking-gas dealers across Indian metros and localities as worries over fuel supplies escalate. Businesses appear the most affected: the most severe shortage is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. LPG simply cannot be found," says a official of the a major restaurant body. Most eateries run either on commercial LPG cylinders or piped gas, and the lack of supply are now being felt across the country. "A lot of restaurants have ceased operations - some in northern India, many in the southern states. People are switching to solid fuels and electronic appliances to keep food preparation going." Localized Effects In a financial hub, accounts say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already fully or partly shut as cylinder availability dwindle. In the southern cities of tech and coastal hubs, some eateries say their fuel reserves have depleted with scarce alternatives. "Coffee is the sole item we can prepare and no food items - it is extremely difficult. Operations will be impacted," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru. A food joint in a southern city which has ceased operations due to a scarcity of LPG. Restaurant owners are scrambling to adapt. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are cutting lunch service and opening only for dinner," an industry representative says, adding that closures are varying as supplies wax and wane. "Several establishments in Delhi were shut yesterday - two have already reopened. It's a dynamic scenario." Retailers note a surge in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are running out of them. Government Stance Yet, the government states there is no shortage. India has more than 30 crore domestic LPG users and officials say stocks are being prioritized to households as tensions from the Middle East conflict affect energy markets. Approximately a majority of India's LPG is sourced from abroad, and about 90% of those shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic bottleneck now significantly disrupted by the conflict. The oil ministry says that it ordered refineries to maximise LPG output for home needs, lifting domestic production by about a significant margin. Commercial stock is being reserved for vital industries such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "just and open". "A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been triggered by rumors. The normal delivery cycle for household cylinders remains about 60 hours," says a government spokesperson. Growing Panic Now the worry is spreading beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of two-wheelers outside a gas outlet. "The panic is real," the text reads. India imports up to a vast majority of the crude it uses, leaving it significantly susceptible to interruptions in global supplies. According to data from market experts, concerns about India's broader energy security may be premature. India imports the overwhelming majority of its crude oil. Around a significant portion of its oil purchases - about 2.5 to 2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the strait, largely from Gulf countries. Even if crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, the deficit could be partly made up by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a sector expert. Based on maritime intelligence and industry information, additional Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, reducing India's effective gap 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 on the water 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 key weakness is cooking gas, commentators observe. India consumes roughly 1 million barrels a day, but produces only 40-45% domestically, importing the rest - the vast majority through the chokepoint. Refineries can tweak operations to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a moderate increase would only lift domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country significantly leaning on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be partially mitigated through varied suppliers. Fuel availability remains fairly adequate. Cooking gas supply is the real variable to track in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the anxiety on the ground is not just limited availability but erratic supply chains - and the common threat of hoarding. An industry representative alleges opportunistic profiteering. "Suppliers are misusing the situation - black-marketing cylinders and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being accumulated and auctioned off." For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by international market dynamics. But in kitchens across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next gas canister.
People queue up to buy cooking gas cylinders for home cooking in an urban center. The shockwaves of a war being fought nearly 3,000km away are now being felt in India's households. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran impede energy shipments through the key maritime chokepoint, supplies of kitchen fuel are shrinking across India, pushing restaurants to shorten food lists, reduce operating times and in some cases cease operations entirely. Social media is filled with video clips showing lines outside cooking-gas dealers across Indian metros and localities as worries over fuel supplies escalate. Businesses appear the most affected: the most severe shortage is in commercial eateries. "Conditions are critical. LPG simply cannot be found," says a official of the a major restaurant body. Most eateries run either on commercial LPG cylinders or piped gas, and the lack of supply are now being felt across the country. "A lot of restaurants have ceased operations - some in northern India, many in the southern states. People are switching to solid fuels and electronic appliances to keep food preparation going." Localized Effects In a financial hub, accounts say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already fully or partly shut as cylinder availability dwindle. In the southern cities of tech and coastal hubs, some eateries say their fuel reserves have depleted with scarce alternatives. "Coffee is the sole item we can prepare and no food items - it is extremely difficult. Operations will be impacted," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru. A food joint in a southern city which has ceased operations due to a scarcity of LPG. Restaurant owners are scrambling to adapt. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are cutting lunch service and opening only for dinner," an industry representative says, adding that closures are varying as supplies wax and wane. "Several establishments in Delhi were shut yesterday - two have already reopened. It's a dynamic scenario." Retailers note a surge in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are running out of them. Government Stance Yet, the government states there is no shortage. India has more than 30 crore domestic LPG users and officials say stocks are being prioritized to households as tensions from the Middle East conflict affect energy markets. Approximately a majority of India's LPG is sourced from abroad, and about 90% of those shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic bottleneck now significantly disrupted by the conflict. The oil ministry says that it ordered refineries to maximise LPG output for home needs, lifting domestic production by about a significant margin. Commercial stock is being reserved for vital industries such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "just and open". "A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been triggered by rumors. The normal delivery cycle for household cylinders remains about 60 hours," says a government spokesperson. Growing Panic Now the worry is spreading beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of two-wheelers outside a gas outlet. "The panic is real," the text reads. India imports up to a vast majority of the crude it uses, leaving it significantly susceptible to interruptions in global supplies. According to data from market experts, concerns about India's broader energy security may be premature. India imports the overwhelming majority of its crude oil. Around a significant portion of its oil purchases - about 2.5 to 2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the strait, largely from Gulf countries. Even if crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, the deficit could be partly made up by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a sector expert. Based on maritime intelligence and industry information, additional Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, reducing India's effective gap 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 on the water 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 key weakness is cooking gas, commentators observe. India consumes roughly 1 million barrels a day, but produces only 40-45% domestically, importing the rest - the vast majority through the chokepoint. Refineries can tweak operations to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a moderate increase would only lift domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country significantly leaning on imports. In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be partially mitigated through varied suppliers. Fuel availability remains fairly adequate. Cooking gas supply is the real variable to track in the coming weeks." What may be worsening the anxiety on the ground is not just limited availability but erratic supply chains - and the common threat of hoarding. An industry representative alleges opportunistic profiteering. "Suppliers are misusing the situation - black-marketing cylinders and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being accumulated and auctioned off." For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by international market dynamics. But in kitchens across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next gas canister.