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

The shockwaves of a war being fought nearly a significant distance away are now impacting India's homes.

As US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupt energy deliveries through the key maritime chokepoint, stocks of cooking gas are tightening across India, pushing restaurants to shorten food lists, close earlier and in some cases shut down altogether.

Social media is awash with video clips showing crowds outside fuel suppliers across Indian metros and localities as worries over fuel supplies grow. Restaurant kitchens appear the hardest struck: the most severe shortage is in food service establishments.

"The situation is dire. Kitchen fuel simply is unavailable," says a spokesperson of the National Restaurant Association of India.

Most eateries run either on business-grade gas tanks or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the lack of supply are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have shut down - some in northern India, many in the southern region. People are switching to coal and wood and induction stoves to keep food preparation going."

Regional Impact

In Mumbai, local news say up to a 20% of hotels and restaurants are already completely or partially closed as commercial LPG supplies tighten. In the southern cities of Bangalore and Madras, some restaurants say their fuel reserves have dwindled with scarce alternatives. "We can only make coffee and no food items - it is truly dismal. Businesses are going to suffer," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru.

Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Menus are being curtailed, some are cutting lunch service and opening only for dinner," an industry representative says, adding that closures are fluctuating as supplies wax and wane. "Three restaurants in Delhi were shut yesterday - two have already reopened. It's a fluid situation."

Retailers observe a spike in sales of electronic cooking appliances, with some saying they are facing stockouts.

Authority's View

Yet, the authorities states there is sufficient stock.

India has more than 30 crore domestic LPG users and authorities say cylinders are being reallocated to households as geopolitical strain from the regional hostilities impact energy markets.

Approximately 60% of India's LPG is sourced from abroad, and about nine out of ten of those shipments pass through the key maritime route, the vital passage now effectively closed by the war.

The oil ministry says that it instructed refineries to boost LPG output for household consumption, lifting domestic production by about a quarter. Business-grade fuel is being reserved for vital industries such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "equitable and clear".

"A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been caused by false reports. The regular refill period for domestic LPG remains about 60 hours," says a government spokesperson.

Growing Panic

Now the anxiety is spreading beyond kitchens. On online networks, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of scooters outside a gas outlet. "The panic is real," the caption reads.

According to analysis from industry analysts, concerns about India's broader energy security may be exaggerated.

India imports 90% of its crude oil. Around a significant portion of its petroleum shipments - about 2.5-2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the waterway, largely from regional suppliers.

Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the deficit could be partly offset by higher imports of discounted Russian crude, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst.

Based on shipping data and expert analysis, additional 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.

"A large quantity of 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.

Kitchen Fuel: The Primary Concern

The primary concern is cooking gas, analysts say.

India consumes roughly 1 million barrels a day, but produces only a minority share domestically, importing the rest - 80–90% through Hormuz.

Refineries can tweak operations to produce 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: "Petroleum shortage concerns can be partially mitigated through varied suppliers. Fuel availability remains largely sufficient. LPG availability is the critical issue to monitor in the coming weeks."

What may be intensifying the anxiety on the ground is not just tight supply but patchy deliveries - and the common threat of stockpiling.

An industry representative states price gouging.

"Retailers are misusing the situation - illegally trading canisters and selling them at a inflated price. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being accumulated and sold to the highest bidder."

For now, India's energy imports may be cushioned by worldwide shipping. But in homes across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next refill.