‘Diversified our supplies...’: Oil minister says maximum of our supplies don’t come through Strait of Hormuz

As tensions flared in the Middle East over the weekend, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri moved swiftly to calm fears back home. Just hours after Iran’s parliament threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz — a vital artery for global oil and gas — Puri assured Indians that energy security remains intact. With Iran’s move still pending final approval, India signaled confidence in its diversified import strategy and readiness to weather any disruption.

“We have been closely monitoring the evolving geopolitical situation in the Middle East since the past two weeks. Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, we have diversified our supplies in the past few years and a large volume of our supplies do not come through the Strait of Hormuz now,” Puri wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

“Our Oil Marketing Companies have supplies of several weeks and continue to receive energy supplies from several routes. We will take all necessary steps to ensure stability of supplies of fuel to our citizens,” he added.

Iran’s proposal to block the Strait, announced by state-run Press TV, now awaits approval from the Supreme National Security Council, the country’s highest authority on such decisions. This narrow channel, just 33 kilometers wide, carries nearly 20% of the world’s oil and gas, making it a critical — and vulnerable — global chokepoint.

Key exporters including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the UAE rely on the Strait, and while Western economies once bore the brunt of such risks, it is now Asia, particularly China and India, that could face the biggest fallout.

India imports about 2 million barrels per day through the Strait, out of a total of 5.5 million. Yet analysts say the country is well-positioned. Diversification efforts have boosted purchases from Russia, the US, and Brazil, easing the threat of short-term supply shocks.

India's gas imports also remain stable. Its primary LNG supplier, Qatar, bypasses the Strait, and additional shipments from Australia, Russia, and the US further insulate the country from potential fallout.