‘The Situation is Dire’: War on Iran Squeezes India's Cooking-Gas Supplies.

The repercussions of a conflict being fought nearly a significant distance away are now being felt in India's homes.

As US-Israeli strikes on Iran impede energy deliveries through the vital shipping lane, supplies of kitchen fuel are tightening across India, compelling restaurants to cut menus, shorten hours and in some cases shut down altogether.

Social media is filled with video clips showing crowds outside LPG distributors across Indian cities and towns as concerns over fuel supplies spread. Commercial LPG users appear the hardest struck: the sharpest squeeze is in commercial eateries.

"The situation is dire. Kitchen fuel simply isn't available," says a official of the National Restaurant Association of India.

Most eateries run either on business-grade gas tanks or direct gas lines, and the shortages are now being felt across the country. "Numerous restaurants have closed - some in Delhi, many in the south. People are switching to coal and wood and electronic appliances to keep kitchens going."

City-Specific Fallout

In Mumbai, accounts say up to a significant portion of eateries are already fully or partly shut as cylinder availability dry up. In the southern cities of Bangalore and Madras, some eateries say their gas stocks have shrunk with scarce alternatives. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and no other dishes - it is truly dismal. Commerce will take a hit," says a business operator in Bengaluru.

Restaurant operators are seeking alternatives. "Food options are being cut, some are cutting lunch service and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that closures are varying as supplies come and go. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a changing landscape."

Retailers observe a surge in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are facing stockouts.

Government Stance

Yet, the authorities maintains there is no shortage.

India has more than 30 crore household consumers and officials say stocks are being reallocated to households as conflict-related stress from the war in the Gulf affect energy markets.

Approximately 60% of India's LPG is sourced from abroad, and about 90% of those shipments pass through the key maritime route, the strategic bottleneck now effectively closed by the war.

The petroleum ministry says that it ordered refineries to increase LPG output for home needs, enhancing domestic production by about a significant margin. Commercial stock is being prioritised for vital industries such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "equitable and clear".

"Unnecessary hoarding and hoarding has been sparked by false reports. The normal delivery cycle for domestic LPG remains about under three days," says a senior official.

Growing Panic

Now the anxiety is extending beyond kitchens. On online networks, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of scooters outside a fuel station. "Concern is genuine," the text reads.

According to reports from industry analysts, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be premature.

India imports the overwhelming majority of its petroleum. Around half of its crude oil imports - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the strait, largely from Middle Eastern nations.

Even if petroleum transit through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the deficit could be partly made up by higher imports of discounted Russian crude, according to a sector expert.

Based on maritime intelligence and credible market sources, incremental 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 1.6 million barrels a day.

"Tens of millions of Russian oil barrels are currently on the water in the Indian Ocean and, with only India and China as major buyers, those barrels remain a ready fallback," an analyst noted.

Kitchen Fuel: The Primary Concern

The real vulnerability is cooking gas, commentators observe.

India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - 80–90% through the chokepoint.

Refineries can modify output to extract a bit more LPG, but even a limited rise would only raise domestic supply to about 47-50% of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports.

In short: "Crude supply risk can be moderately reduced through alternative sourcing. Processed petroleum stocks remains largely sufficient. Kitchen fuel stocks is the critical issue to watch in the coming weeks."

What may be worsening the panic on the ground is not just tight supply but patchy deliveries - and the familiar spectre of stockpiling.

An industry representative alleges opportunistic profiteering.

"Retailers are taking advantage of the situation - selling fuel on the black market 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 buffered by international market dynamics. But in homes across the country, the more urgent issue is simple: how to get the next cylinder.