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

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

As aerial attacks on Iran disrupt energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, supplies of cooking gas are shrinking across India, pushing restaurants to cut menus, reduce operating times and in some cases cease operations entirely.

Social media is flooded by video clips showing queues outside cooking-gas dealers across Indian cities and towns as worries over fuel supplies grow. Restaurant kitchens appear the hardest struck: the sharpest squeeze is in restaurant kitchens.

"The state of affairs is alarming. LPG simply is unavailable," says a representative of the a major restaurant body.

Most restaurants run either on commercial LPG cylinders or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the shortages are now being felt across the country. "A lot of restaurants have shut down - some in northern India, many in the southern states. People are turning to traditional burners and electronic appliances to keep kitchens going."

Localized Effects

In a western metro, media reports say up to a 20% of hospitality businesses 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 minimal reserves. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and nothing else - it is truly dismal. Operations will be impacted," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru.

Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Food options are being cut, some are opening only for dinner and opening only for dinner," an industry representative says, adding that stoppages are fluctuating as supplies ebb and flow. "Several establishments in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a dynamic scenario."

Retailers note a increase in sales of electric cookers, with some saying they are running out of them.

Official Position

Yet, the government insists there is adequate supply.

India has more than 300 million home fuel subscribers and officials say stocks are being redirected to households as conflict-related stress 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 critical waterway, the vital passage now effectively closed by the conflict.

The relevant department says that it directed refineries to maximise LPG output for home needs, raising domestic production by about a quarter. Commercial stock is being allocated for critical services such as hospitals and educational institutions, while distribution will be "equitable and clear".

"A degree of anxious stocking and stockpiling has been triggered by misinformation. The normal delivery cycle for home fuel remains about 60 hours," says a government spokesperson.

Spreading Anxiety

Now the anxiety is spreading beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of motorbikes outside a gas outlet. "Anxiety is palpable," the caption reads.

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

India imports almost all of its crude oil. Around half of its crude oil imports - about 2.5-2.7 million barrels a day - travel through the strait, largely from Gulf countries.

Even if crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the deficit could be partly compensated for by higher imports of Russian petroleum, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst.

Based on maritime intelligence and industry information, increased Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, narrowing India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about 1.6 million barrels a day.

"A large quantity of Russian oil barrels are currently in transit at sea in the Indian Ocean and, with only two major Asian economies as major buyers, those barrels remain a ready fallback," an analyst noted.

Kitchen Fuel: The Primary Concern

The key weakness is cooking gas, analysts say.

India consumes roughly 1 million barrels a day, but produces only 40-45% domestically, importing the rest - 80–90% through Hormuz.

Refineries can adjust processes to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only raise domestic supply to about 47-50% of demand, leaving the country heavily reliant on imports.

In short: "Oil import vulnerability can be moderately reduced through diversification. Processed petroleum stocks remains largely sufficient. Cooking gas supply is the critical issue to track in the coming weeks."

What may be worsening the anxiety on the ground is not just scarcity but erratic supply chains - and the familiar spectre of hoarding.

An industry representative claims opportunistic profiteering.

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

For now, India's petroleum stocks may be protected by worldwide shipping. But in homes across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next refill.