‘A Critical Scenario’: Hostilities on Iran Squeezes India's Cooking-Gas Availability.

The ripple effects of a military engagement being fought nearly 3,000km away are now being felt in India's homes.

As military actions on Iran impede energy shipments through the key maritime chokepoint, supplies of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are tightening across India, forcing restaurants to cut menus, reduce operating times and in some cases cease operations entirely.

Social media is flooded by video clips showing lines outside LPG distributors across Indian urban and rural areas as anxieties over fuel supplies escalate. Commercial LPG users appear the worst hit: 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 eateries run either on commercial LPG cylinders or piped gas, and the lack of supply are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have ceased operations - some in Delhi, many in the southern region. People are turning to traditional burners and electric cookers to keep their operations going."

City-Specific Fallout

In a western metro, local news say up to a significant portion of eateries are already fully or partly shut as cylinder availability dry up. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some eateries say their cylinder inventory have dwindled with little backup. "We can only make coffee and no food items - it is nothing less than pathetic. Operations will be impacted," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru.

Restaurant owners are scrambling to adapt. "Offering lists are shrinking, some are opening only for dinner and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that shutdowns are changing as supplies wax and wane. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - some have resumed operations. It's a fluid situation."

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

Authority's View

Yet, the government maintains there is sufficient stock.

India has more than 300 million home fuel subscribers and officials say stocks are being reallocated to households as tensions from the Middle East conflict affect energy markets.

About 60% of India's LPG is sourced from abroad, and about the vast majority of those shipments pass through the key maritime route, the narrow Gulf chokepoint now largely blocked by the conflict.

The oil ministry says that it instructed refineries to increase LPG output for home needs, enhancing domestic production by about 25%. Commercial stock is being prioritised for essential sectors such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "just and open".

"Some panic booking and hoarding has been sparked by rumors. The regular refill period for domestic LPG remains about 60 hours," says a ministry representative.

Spreading Anxiety

Now the anxiety is extending beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a extended procession of motorbikes outside a petrol pump. "Concern is genuine," the caption reads.

According to reports from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader energy security may be overstated.

India imports the overwhelming majority of its oil. Around half of its petroleum shipments - about 2.5-2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the passage, 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 competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst.

Based on shipping data and credible market sources, 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 1.6 million barrels a day.

"Around 25-30 million Russian oil barrels are currently on the water in the Indian Ocean and, with only two major Asian economies as major buyers, those barrels remain a ready fallback," an analyst noted.

LPG: The Real Vulnerability

The real vulnerability is LPG, experts note.

India consumes roughly one million barrels a day, but produces only less than half 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 raise domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports.

In short: "Crude supply risk can be moderately reduced through alternative sourcing. Refined product supply remains fairly adequate. LPG availability is the real variable to track in the coming weeks."

What may be worsening the concern on the ground is not just tight supply but patchy deliveries - and the common threat of hoarding.

An industry representative alleges exploitative practices.

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

For now, India's petroleum stocks may be buffered by international market dynamics. But in restaurants across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next refill.