India Resumes Iranian Oil Imports After Seven-Year Hiatus Amid Supply Disruptions

New Delhi — India has purchased Iranian crude oil for the first time in seven years, the oil ministry said on Saturday, as disruptions linked to conflict in the Middle East constrained supplies through the Strait of Hormuz and prompted New Delhi to diversify sourcing.

The world’s third-largest oil importer had not received shipments from Iran since May 2019, when U.S. pressure led buyers to halt purchases, but recent supply strains stemming from the U.S.-Israel conflict have tightened availability for the South Asian nation.

“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 in a statement on X, indicating that financial channels for such transactions are currently functioning.

The development follows a temporary easing of U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil and refined products last month aimed at alleviating global supply shortages, according to the report.India said it has secured its full crude oil requirements for the coming months, adding that refiners retain flexibility to source supplies from more than 40 countries based on commercial considerations.

In addition to crude, India has imported 44,000 metric tons of Iranian liquefied petroleum gas carried on a sanctioned vessel that berthed at the western port of Mangalore on Wednesday and is currently discharging cargo, the ministry said.