India Fuel Crisis 2026: How does India survive amid the Iran-Israel war and the global oil crisis? Know how strategic oil reserves, alternative supply routes, foreign policy and energy security strategy kept the country away from rationing, inflation and fuel crisis.
When tensions between Iran, Israel and the US in West Asia reached dangerous levels this year, fears of a new energy crisis spread across the world. Crude oil prices started rising in international markets, maritime shipping routes became considered unsafe and many countries started taking emergency measures like fuel rationing, travel controls and electricity savings.
Apprehensions were also being raised regarding India. The reason was clear, the country is dependent on imports for about 90 percent of its energy needs. Experts feared that if the Strait of Hormuz was affected, India could see a huge shortage of petrol and diesel, gas crisis and a new wave of inflation. But this did not happen.
Compared to many countries of the world, India remained relatively stable during this crisis. Neither rationing had to be done on a large scale, nor was there chaos at petrol pumps, nor was the domestic supply chain completely disrupted. The reason behind this was not a sudden decision, but India’s long-term strategic energy policy prepared in the last decade.
Reducing dependence on a single sector becomes the biggest weapon
India made major changes in its oil import policy in the last few years. While earlier the country was mainly dependent on Gulf countries, now India is buying crude oil from more than 40 countries. In 2006-07, India imported oil from only 27 countries, but now large scale purchases are also being made from Russia, Venezuela, America, Guyana and many African countries. In April 2026 alone, India imported about 12 million barrels of discounted heavy crude from Venezuela. This diversity proved to be the biggest protective shield in times of crisis. When the world’s eyes were on the Strait of Hormuz, India already had alternative supply chains active.
The news is being updated.