‘The Situation is Dire’: Hostilities on Iran Constricts India's Cooking-Gas Availability.

The shockwaves 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 key maritime chokepoint, stocks of kitchen fuel are shrinking across India, forcing restaurants to cut menus, shorten hours and in some cases cease operations entirely.

Social media is awash with video clips showing lines outside cooking-gas dealers across Indian urban and rural areas as worries over fuel supplies grow. Commercial LPG users appear the worst hit: the sharpest squeeze is in commercial eateries.

"Conditions are critical. Cooking gas simply cannot be found," says a spokesperson of the National Restaurant Association of India.

Most eateries run either on business-grade gas tanks or piped gas, and the shortages are now being noticed across the country. "Many restaurants have closed - some in Delhi, many in the southern region. People are switching to coal and wood and electronic appliances to keep their operations going."

Localized Effects

In a financial hub, media reports say up to a fifth of hospitality businesses are already operating at reduced capacity as cylinder availability tighten. In the southern cities of Bangalore and Madras, some restaurants say their fuel reserves have dwindled with scarce alternatives. "Coffee is the sole item we can prepare and no food items - it is extremely difficult. Commerce will take a hit," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru.

Restaurant managers are rushing to adjust. "Food options are being cut, some are cutting lunch service and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are fluctuating as supplies wax and wane. "Several establishments in Delhi were shut yesterday - two have already reopened. It's a dynamic scenario."

Retailers observe a surge in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are running out of them.

Government Stance

Yet, the government insists there is sufficient stock.

India has more than 30 crore home fuel subscribers and officials say supplies are being reallocated to households as tensions from the war in the Gulf impact energy markets.

Roughly 60% of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about the vast majority of those shipments pass through the key maritime route, the narrow Gulf chokepoint now significantly disrupted by the war.

The oil ministry says that it directed refineries to boost LPG output for home needs, enhancing domestic production by about a significant margin. Non-domestic supply is being reserved for critical services such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "fair and transparent".

"A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been triggered by rumors. The normal delivery cycle for domestic LPG remains about under three days," says a senior official.

Widening Concern

Now the concern is spreading beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of two-wheelers outside a fuel station. "The panic is real," the description reads.

According to analysis from industry analysts, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be premature.

India imports 90% of its crude oil. Around 50% of its oil purchases - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the strait, largely from Gulf countries.

Even if crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the gap could be partly compensated for by higher imports of Russian petroleum, according to a sector expert.

Based on shipping data and credible market sources, increased Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, lessening 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 viable alternative," an analyst noted.

LPG: The Real Vulnerability

The real vulnerability is cooking gas, analysts say.

India consumes roughly a million barrels a day, but produces only 40-45% domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint.

Refineries can tweak operations to extract a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only lift domestic supply to about under half of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports.

In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be partially mitigated through diversification. Processed petroleum stocks remains relatively comfortable. Kitchen fuel stocks is the key factor to track in the coming weeks."

What may be heightening the panic on the ground is not just scarcity but erratic supply chains - and the usual problem of hoarding.

An industry representative alleges price gouging.

"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 sold to the highest bidder."

For now, India's energy imports may be protected by global trade flows. But in restaurants across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.