‘An Alarming State of Affairs’: War on Iran Squeezes India's Cooking-Gas Stock.

The ripple effects of a military engagement being fought nearly 1,864 miles away are now reaching India's households.

As US-Israeli strikes on Iran hinder energy deliveries through the key maritime chokepoint, availability of cooking gas are dwindling across India, forcing restaurants to cut menus, shorten hours and in some cases shut down altogether.

Social media is filled with video clips showing queues outside cooking-gas dealers across Indian urban and rural areas as worries over fuel supplies grow. Commercial LPG users appear the hardest struck: the sharpest squeeze is in restaurant kitchens.

"Conditions are critical. Kitchen fuel simply cannot be found," says a official of the a major restaurant body.

Most eateries run either on commercial LPG cylinders or direct gas lines, and the lack of supply are now being noticed across the country. "Numerous restaurants have closed - some in Delhi, many in the southern region. People are adopting traditional burners and electric cookers to keep kitchens going."

Regional Impact

In Mumbai, media reports say up to a 20% of hotels and restaurants are already fully or partly shut as commercial LPG supplies dry up. In the southern cities of Bangalore and Madras, some establishments say their gas stocks have depleted with little backup. "Coffee is the sole item we can prepare and no other dishes - it is extremely difficult. Operations will be impacted," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru.

Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Food options are being cut, some are opening only for dinner and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that stoppages are changing as supplies come and go. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a fluid situation."

Retailers note a surge in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are selling out quickly.

Government Stance

Yet, the officials insists there is adequate supply.

India has more than a vast number of domestic LPG users and officials say stocks are being prioritized to households as geopolitical strain from the war in the Gulf affect energy markets.

Approximately a majority of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about 90% of those shipments pass through the key maritime route, the strategic bottleneck now significantly disrupted by the hostilities.

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

"A degree of anxious stocking and stockpiling has been caused by false reports. The standard supply timeline for household cylinders remains about under three days," says a government spokesperson.

Widening Concern

Now the concern is spreading beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a extended procession of two-wheelers outside a petrol pump. "Concern is genuine," the caption reads.

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

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

Even if petroleum transit through the Strait of Hormuz are blocked, the gap could be partly offset by higher imports of Russian petroleum, according to a industry commentator.

Based on vessel tracking and expert analysis, additional Russian crude imports could reach around 1-1.2 million barrels a day, lessening India's effective gap from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day.

"Tens of millions of Russian oil barrels are currently in transit at sea 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 primary concern is LPG, commentators observe.

India consumes roughly 1 million barrels a day, but produces only a minority share domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint.

Refineries can modify output to produce a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only increase 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 varied suppliers. Fuel availability remains largely sufficient. LPG availability is the critical issue to track in the coming weeks."

What may be intensifying the anxiety on the ground is not just scarcity but uneven distribution - and the familiar spectre of panic buying.

An industry representative claims exploitative practices.

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

For now, India's oil supplies may be buffered by worldwide shipping. But in kitchens across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next gas canister.