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

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

As US-Israeli strikes on Iran impede energy deliveries through the Strait of Hormuz, stocks of cooking gas are dwindling across India, compelling restaurants to shorten food lists, close earlier and in some cases shut down altogether.

Social media is flooded by video clips showing queues outside fuel suppliers across Indian urban and rural areas as concerns over fuel supplies spread. Commercial LPG users appear the hardest struck: the most severe shortage is in commercial eateries.

"The situation is dire. LPG simply cannot be found," says a official of the National Restaurant Association of India.

Most restaurants run either on commercial LPG cylinders or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the shortages are now being felt across the country. "Many restaurants have shut down - some in Delhi, many in the southern states. People are switching to solid fuels and electronic appliances to keep kitchens going."

City-Specific Fallout

In a financial hub, media reports say up to a 20% of hospitality businesses are already operating at reduced capacity as commercial LPG supplies dry up. In the southern cities of Bangalore and Madras, some eateries say their cylinder inventory have shrunk with minimal reserves. "Coffee is the sole item we can prepare and nothing else - it is truly dismal. Operations will be impacted," says a chain proprietor in Bengaluru.

Restaurant owners are seeking alternatives. "Food options are being cut, some are opening only for dinner and opening only for dinner," 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 changing landscape."

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

Government Stance

Yet, the government insists there is no shortage.

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

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

The relevant department says that it instructed refineries to boost LPG output for domestic use, lifting domestic production by about 25%. Commercial stock is being prioritised for vital industries such as hospitals and educational institutions, while distribution will be "just and open".

"A degree of anxious stocking and stockpiling has been triggered by misinformation. The normal delivery cycle for domestic LPG remains about two-and-a-half days," says a government spokesperson.

Spreading Anxiety

Now the concern is moving beyond kitchens. On digital platforms, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a extended procession of motorbikes outside a gas outlet. "Anxiety is palpable," the description reads.

According to reports from market experts, concerns about India's broader petroleum stocks may be premature.

India imports almost all of its petroleum. Around half of its oil purchases - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the waterway, largely from Gulf countries.

Even if oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, the gap could be partly offset by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, 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, lessening India's effective deficit from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of 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 viable alternative," an analyst noted.

Kitchen Fuel: The Primary Concern

The key weakness is cooking gas, analysts say.

India consumes roughly one million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - the vast majority through the Strait.

Refineries can tweak operations to extract a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only raise domestic supply to about under half of demand, leaving the country largely dependent on imports.

In short: "Crude supply risk can be somewhat alleviated through diversification. Fuel availability remains relatively comfortable. LPG availability is the key factor to track in the coming weeks."

What may be worsening the panic on the ground is not just tight supply but uneven distribution - and the familiar spectre of hoarding.

An industry representative alleges opportunistic profiteering.

"Retailers are exploiting the situation - selling fuel on the black market 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 energy imports may be cushioned by worldwide shipping. But in restaurants across the country, the more immediate question is simple: how to get the next cylinder.