India has confirmed that its refiners are purchasing crude oil from Iran, marking the clearest official acknowledgement of such trade since 2019 as the country moves to secure fuel supplies amid disruption to flows through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement by Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
“Amid Middle East supply disruptions, Indian refiners have secured their crude oil requirements, including from Iran; and there is no payment hurdle for Iranian crude imports,” the ministry said, adding that refiners retain flexibility to source barrels on commercial grounds across more than 40 supplier countries.
The move signals a reset after imports from Iran halted in May 2019, with supply chains strained by disruption to shipments through Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil flows. Officials also rejected claims that an Iranian crude cargo was diverted from Vadinar to China due to payment issues.
The minister said such reports were “factually incorrect,” noting that bills of lading may indicate provisional destinations and cargoes can change course mid-voyage for operational or commercial reasons.
Flows are already materialising. The LPG carrier Sea Bird, loaded with about 44,000 metric tonnes of Iranian LPG, berthed at Mangalore on April 2 and began discharge. A US policy step on March 20 authorised delivery and sale of Iranian-origin crude oil and petroleum products loaded on vessels as of that date, easing constraints on such cargoes and enabling renewed flows.
India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is the central government authority responsible for policy formulation, regulatory oversight and development of the country’s hydrocarbon sector, covering upstream licensing, refining and downstream distribution.
