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

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

As US-Israeli strikes on Iran impede energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, stocks of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are shrinking across India, forcing restaurants to reduce offerings, reduce operating times and in some cases shut down altogether.

Social media is flooded by video clips showing queues outside LPG distributors across Indian urban and rural areas as worries over fuel supplies grow. Commercial LPG users appear the most affected: the biggest crunch is in restaurant kitchens.

"The state of affairs is alarming. Cooking gas simply is unavailable," says a representative of the an industry group.

Most food outlets run either on industrial fuel canisters or piped gas, and the scarcities are now being noticed across the country. "A lot of restaurants have closed - some in the capital, many in the southern states. People are switching to coal and wood and electronic appliances to keep kitchens going."

Localized Effects

In a western metro, media reports say up to a significant portion of eateries are already fully or partly shut as commercial LPG supplies dry up. In the southern cities of tech and coastal hubs, some restaurants say their gas stocks have depleted with minimal reserves. "Our menu is reduced to coffee and no food items - it is extremely difficult. Businesses are going to suffer," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru.

Restaurant owners are scrambling to adapt. "Food options are being cut, some are cutting lunch service and operating solely in the evening," an industry representative says, adding that stoppages are varying 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 observe a spike in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are facing stockouts.

Authority's View

Yet, the authorities maintains there is adequate supply.

India has more than a vast number of domestic LPG users and spokespersons say cylinders are being redirected to households as conflict-related stress from the regional hostilities ripple through energy markets.

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

The petroleum ministry says that it directed refineries to boost LPG output for domestic use, enhancing domestic production by about a significant margin. Non-domestic supply is being allocated for essential sectors such as medical and academic centers, while distribution will be "just and open".

"A degree of anxious stocking and accumulation has been caused by misinformation. The standard supply timeline for household cylinders remains about two-and-a-half days," says a ministry representative.

Spreading Anxiety

Now the anxiety is extending beyond kitchens. On online networks, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of two-wheelers outside a gas outlet. "The panic is real," the text reads.

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

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

Even if oil shipments 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, incremental Russian crude imports could reach around 1-1.2 million barrels a day, narrowing 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 viable alternative," an analyst noted.

Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness

The real vulnerability is cooking gas, experts note.

India consumes roughly 1 million barrels a day, but produces only 40-45% domestically, importing the rest - the vast majority through the Strait.

Refineries can tweak operations to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a limited rise would only increase domestic supply to about under half of demand, leaving the country significantly leaning on imports.

In short: "Petroleum shortage concerns can be somewhat alleviated through diversification. Refined product supply remains fairly adequate. Kitchen fuel stocks is the key factor to monitor in the coming weeks."

What may be intensifying the panic on the ground is not just scarcity but erratic supply chains - and the usual problem of panic buying.

An industry representative claims price gouging.

"Retailers are exploiting 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 energy imports may be protected by global trade flows. But in restaurants across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next refill.