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

The repercussions of a conflict being fought nearly a significant distance away are now reaching India's households.

As military actions on Iran disrupt energy transports through the key maritime chokepoint, supplies of cooking gas are shrinking across India, forcing restaurants to shorten food lists, 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 anxieties over fuel supplies spread. Restaurant kitchens appear the most affected: the biggest crunch is in restaurant kitchens.

"The situation is dire. Kitchen fuel simply cannot be found," says a representative of the a major restaurant body.

Most restaurants run either on commercial LPG cylinders or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the lack of supply are now being felt across the country. "A lot of restaurants have ceased operations - some in Delhi, many in the southern states. People are adopting coal and wood and induction stoves to keep food preparation going."

City-Specific Fallout

In a western metro, accounts say up to a 20% of eateries are already completely or partially closed as commercial LPG supplies dry up. In the southern cities of Bangalore and Madras, some establishments say their cylinder inventory have depleted with scarce alternatives. "We can only make coffee and no other dishes - it is nothing less than pathetic. Businesses are going to suffer," says a business operator in Bengaluru.

Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Food options are being cut, some are skipping midday meals and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are fluctuating as supplies ebb and flow. "Three restaurants in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a dynamic scenario."

Retailers observe a spike in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are facing stockouts.

Official Position

Yet, the government insists there is no shortage.

India has more than 300 million domestic LPG users and authorities say supplies are being prioritized to households as tensions from the war in the Gulf ripple through energy markets.

Approximately a majority of India's LPG is imported, and about 90% of those imports pass through the critical waterway, the strategic bottleneck now effectively closed by the war.

The petroleum ministry says that it directed refineries to increase LPG output for household consumption, enhancing domestic production by about a quarter. Commercial stock is being prioritised for vital industries such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "fair and transparent".

"Some panic booking and hoarding has been sparked by misinformation. The regular refill period for household cylinders remains about two-and-a-half days," says a senior official.

Growing Panic

Now the anxiety is moving beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of two-wheelers outside a petrol pump. "The panic is real," the description reads.

According to reports from market experts, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be exaggerated.

India imports the overwhelming majority of its crude oil. Around a significant portion of its oil purchases - about 2.5-2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the waterway, largely from Middle Eastern nations.

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 refinery and oil markets analyst.

Based on vessel tracking 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 in transit at sea in the Indian Ocean and, with only India and China as major buyers, those barrels remain a available backup," an analyst noted.

LPG: The Real Vulnerability

The key weakness is LPG, experts note.

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

Refineries can tweak operations to produce a bit more LPG, but even a limited rise would only increase domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports.

In short: "Crude supply risk can be somewhat alleviated through alternative sourcing. Processed petroleum stocks remains fairly adequate. LPG availability is the real variable to monitor in the coming weeks."

What may be intensifying the anxiety on the ground is not just tight supply but uneven distribution - and the common threat of panic buying.

An industry representative states opportunistic profiteering.

"Distributors are misusing the situation - selling fuel on the black market and selling them at a premium. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being stockpiled and auctioned off."

For now, India's petroleum stocks may be cushioned by international market dynamics. But in kitchens across the country, the more urgent issue is simple: how to get the next cylinder.