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

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

As military actions on Iran impede energy transports through the Strait of Hormuz, availability of cooking gas are tightening across India, forcing restaurants to cut menus, reduce operating times 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 concerns over fuel supplies spread. Commercial LPG users appear the most affected: the biggest crunch is in commercial eateries.

"Conditions are critical. LPG simply isn't available," says a official of the a major restaurant body.

Most restaurants 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 south. People are adopting traditional burners and electric cookers to keep kitchens going."

City-Specific Fallout

In a western metro, media reports say up to a 20% of hospitality businesses are already fully or partly shut as commercial LPG supplies tighten. In the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, some establishments say their fuel reserves have depleted with little backup. "We can only make coffee and no food items - it is nothing less than pathetic. Operations will be impacted," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru.

Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Menus are being curtailed, some are skipping midday meals and reducing hours," an industry representative says, adding that closures are varying as supplies ebb and flow. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a fluid situation."

Retailers observe a increase in sales of induction stoves, with some saying they are running out of them.

Authority's View

Yet, the officials states there is adequate supply.

India has more than 30 crore home fuel subscribers and officials say stocks are being reallocated to households as tensions from the Middle East conflict ripple through energy markets.

About 60% of India's LPG is sourced from abroad, and about 90% of those shipments pass through the key maritime route, the narrow Gulf chokepoint now significantly disrupted by the conflict.

The relevant department says that it instructed refineries to increase LPG output for household consumption, raising domestic production by about a quarter. Non-domestic supply is being allocated for essential sectors such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "just and open".

"Unnecessary hoarding and stockpiling has been sparked by false reports. The standard supply timeline for home fuel remains about two-and-a-half days," says a senior official.

Spreading Anxiety

Now the concern is moving beyond kitchens. On social media, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a lengthy, winding line of two-wheelers outside a gas outlet. "The panic is real," the description reads.

According to analysis from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be premature.

India imports almost all of its petroleum. Around a significant portion of its crude oil imports - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the passage, largely from Gulf countries.

Even if petroleum transit through the Strait of Hormuz are hindered, the gap could be partly made up by higher imports of discounted Russian crude, according to a industry commentator.

Based on shipping data and expert analysis, increased 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.

"A large quantity of Russian oil barrels are currently floating on ships in the Indian Ocean and, with only key buyers as major buyers, those barrels remain a ready fallback," an analyst noted.

Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness

The real vulnerability is LPG, analysts say.

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

Refineries can adjust processes to extract a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only lift domestic supply to about under half of demand, leaving the country significantly leaning on imports.

In short: "Petroleum shortage concerns can be partially mitigated through diversification. Processed petroleum stocks remains relatively comfortable. Cooking gas supply is the critical issue to track in the coming weeks."

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

An industry representative states opportunistic profiteering.

"Retailers are exploiting the situation - black-marketing cylinders and selling them at a high cost. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being hoarded and auctioned off."

For now, India's oil supplies may be protected by international market dynamics. But in restaurants across the country, the more pressing concern is simple: how to get the next cylinder.