Amidst the increasing tension in West Asia, the eyes of the world have once again turned to the Strait of Hormuz. The Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters, which is responsible for Iran’s war operations, has announced that the Strait of Hormuz is being “closed” to ships. However, America has rejected this claim and said that ship movement is continuing in the waterway and the situation is being constantly monitored.

Khatam Al-Anbiya Headquarters has cited the alleged violation of the terms of the ceasefire agreement with America as the reason behind its announcement. Along with this, continuous ceasefire violations by Israel in Southern Lebanon, displacement of civilians and military action have also been cited as the basis for this decision.

IRGC Navy: The Strait of Hormuz is closed to all vessels due to Israeli crimes in Lebanon and US violation of ceasefire commitments. Vessels must stay clear; do not approach the Strait, otherwise, your safety will be at risk.

— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) June 20, 2026

Amidst these claims and counter-claims, news of relief for India has emerged. Three large Indian flagged crude oil tankers have safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz and headed towards India. More than 8.6 lakh tonnes of crude oil is loaded in these ships, which is considered very important for the energy security of the country.

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Giving information on Saturday, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that the three Indian flag tankers named ‘Desh Vaibhav’, ‘Desh Vibhor’ and ‘Sanmar Herald’ have safely crossed the strait with 94 Indian crew members and are now heading towards India.

Safe passage secured!

3 Indian-flagged crude oil tankers, Desh Vaibhav, Desh Vibhor and Sanmar Herald carrying over 8.6 Lakh MT of cargo with 94 Indian crew members have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz today and are en route to India.

Under the decisive leadership…

— Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) June 20, 2026

“Three Indian flagged crude oil tankers… ‘Desh Vaibhav’, ‘Desh Vibhor’ and ‘Sanmar Herald’ carrying over 8.6 lakh tonnes of cargo with 94 Indian crew members have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz today and are now headed towards India,” Sonowal wrote on Twitter.

According to the information, ‘Desh Vaibhav’ is likely to reach Vadinar port in Gujarat on June 24. ‘Desh Vibhor’ coin can reach the port on the same day. Whereas ‘Sanmar Herald’ is expected to reach Paradip port of Odisha by July 1.

At a time when there is uncertainty regarding the Strait of Hormuz between the claims of Iran and America, the safe crossing of this strategic sea route by three oil tankers of India is considered to be a news of great relief and confidence for the country.

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Global Oil Crisis: After the attack on Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the oil supply chain across the world was badly affected. About 20 percent of the world’s crude oil passed through this sea route. As soon as the road was closed, there was a huge jump in oil prices in the international market. Its biggest impact was on the neighboring countries of India, where the prices of petrol and diesel have increased the problems of the common people.

Petrol and diesel broke the backs of people in Pakistan

Pakistan is said to be in the worst situation. There petrol has become costlier by about 64 percent and diesel by 61 percent in the last three months. Where earlier people had to pay 266 rupees, now they have to pay 458.86 Pakistani rupees for petrol and 520.42 Pakistani rupees for diesel.

Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister announced a 42.7 percent increase in petrol and 54.9 percent increase in diesel in the press conference, after which the concern of people across the country increased. At present petrol is being sold there for $1.64 and diesel for $1.86 per litre. According to Indian currency, petrol in Pakistan is costing around Rs 157.34 and diesel Rs 178.45 per litre. The situation has become so serious that the government has had to implement a four-day working week to save electricity and fuel. Many schools have also been closed.

South Asia’s most expensive petrol in Nepal

The situation in Nepal has also become quite worrying. Nepal has now become the most expensive petrol selling country in South Asia. In April 2026, oil prices were increased four times in just one month. Petrol which was 137 Nepali rupees per liter in January, increased to 219 Nepali rupees. Its price in dollars is $ 1.48 per liter, while in Indian rupees it is around Rs 123.58 per liter. Nepal is completely dependent on imported oil. There, about 60 percent of oil is consumed in the transportation sector. In such a situation, due to the cost of petrol and diesel, there has been a huge increase in the cost of transportation of goods and the prices of everyday items have also increased rapidly.

Even fuel rationing in Sri Lanka

Even in Sri Lanka the situation is not normal. One of Asia’s biggest fuel price hikes was recorded there in March 2026. Auto diesel prices increased by 26.1 percent and the price increased from Rs 303 to Rs 382 per liter. The price of petrol also increased to 398 Sri Lankan rupees per liter, which is approximately Rs 108.55 per liter in Indian currency.

The situation became so bad that fuel rationing had to be implemented in Sri Lanka. That means people are not able to buy oil freely as per their need. The government has also imposed restrictions on schools and public programs, so that oil consumption can be reduced and the economy can be managed.

Pressure increased in Bangladesh also

Bangladesh initially tried not to pass on the burden of rising oil prices to the public, but due to continuously increasing subsidies the government eventually had to increase prices. In April 2026, the prices of petrol and diesel were increased by 10 to 16 percent. Before the Iran war, crude oil was around $70 to $75 per barrel, but after the war its price crossed $100 per barrel. Bangladesh imports about 95 percent of its oil needs. The situation is such that petrol pumps are empty in many districts and people have to stand in queues for hours.

Limited increase in India, government took charge

Amidst all this, India’s situation seems relatively stable. Till May 15, 2026, the price of petrol in India has increased by only Rs 3.14 per liter i.e. about 3.4 percent and that of diesel has increased by Rs 3.11 per liter i.e. about 3.6 percent. While oil prices in neighboring countries increased by 60 percent, in India this increase remained quite limited. The central government and state oil companies bore the brunt of the major shock in the international market to a large extent and did not allow it to reach the general public directly. In this era of global crisis, keeping fuel prices under control in India is being considered as a big news of relief.

Strait of Hormuz: The American and Israeli attacks on Iran and Tehran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in response have created problems for the entire world. The situation is that global oil reserves have reached the lowest level in 8 years.

According to a recent report by Goldman Sachs, where the world had 105 days of oil stock in February, it has now come down to 101 days. It is expected to fall for 98 days by the end of May.

Oil reserves are decreasing rapidly

Since the end of February, that is, since the war in Iran started, more than 100 crore (1 billion) barrels of oil have been used from reserves around the world. At present, there is a shortage of 10-13 million barrels of oil every day at the global level. As far as India is concerned, at present only 3.37 million tonnes of crude oil is left in the country’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).

The sharp decline in inventory has worried both the government and the energy market. Due to closure of Hormuz for almost two months, supply of more than one billion barrels has been damaged so far. Now if it remains closed for a few more days, the situation may go from bad to worse. Let us tell you that Hormuz is a very important ‘check point’ of the world, through which about 20 percent of the global oil trade and 20 percent of the LNG passes.

Experts gave warning

According to a Bloomberg report, experts and international agencies like IEA and IMF have given serious warnings. They say that if Hormuz remains closed till September, crude oil prices may reach $167 to $200 per barrel.

Due to energy shortage and rising prices, the world’s GDP may suffer a loss of more than Rs 3.5 lakh crore. This may also cause food crisis in the coming 6-7 months because gas is used in making fertilizer. Apart from this, the prices of ship insurance and freight transportation can also increase exponentially.

JPMorgan has also warned that if Hormuz remains closed further, the OECD inventory could reach ‘operational stress level’ as early as next month and is expected to fall to ‘operational minimum’ level by September.

Which countries are most at risk?

• India imports 88 percent of its oil and 80 percent of LPG requirement. Due to stoppage of supply, there is a danger of severe shortage of fuel in India and increase in inflation.
• China, Japan and South Korea are also completely dependent on the Gulf countries for their energy needs. The energy security of countries like Japan and South Korea directly depends on this route of Hormuz.
• Bangladesh and Pakistan are also not free from danger. There are already long queues at petrol pumps here. Amidst the severe shortage of fuel, these countries are facing difficulties in producing electricity. In such a situation, there is a possibility of industrial production coming to a halt.

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US Iran War: Due to the ongoing war in the Middle East, oil supply is being adversely affected across the world. During this time, the Strait of Hormuz was badly closed, due to which the movement of oil came to a halt. This is being considered as the biggest supply shock till date. According to Reuters calculations based on data from the International Energy Agency and the US Department of Energy, more than 12 million barrels of oil supply is being affected daily. This is about 11.5% of the total demand of the world. According to this, about 624 million barrels have disappeared from the supply market in 52 days.

According to the IEA report, 4.5 million barrels of oil was lost due to the 1973 Arab oil ban. 5.6 million barrels of oil were lost during the 1979 Iran Revolution and 4.3 million barrels during the 1991 Gulf War. At present, not only crude oil but also natural gas, refined fuel (diesel, jet fuel) and fertilizers have been affected simultaneously.

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Impact on LNG and gas

Qatar’s LNG production has been affected due to the Middle East war. This is a large part of the world from where gas is produced. Today the world is more dependent on gas than before. There has been a shortage of jet fuel and diesel due to reduced production in Gulf refineries. Transport and aviation have been affected in many countries.

effect on prices

Due to the war, the price of oil has increased from $70 to approximately $95 per barrel. There is a possibility of this increasing further. During this period, countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE have also been affected. Due to closure of the Strait of Hormuz, they are also not able to export. There is a shortage of supply in Asia and Africa right from the beginning. Due to the current situation, pressure on the global market is increasing.

Oil supply is decreasing rapidly

Due to the ongoing war in the Middle East, the supply of oil is decreasing rapidly. The stock that was accumulated earlier is also on the verge of being exhausted. According to estimates, by the end of this month, around 650 million barrels of oil supply would have been lost. The daily supply of about 13 million barrels of oil has stopped. Apart from this, due to the American blockade imposed on April 13, there has been a further reduction of 1.3 million barrels per day, because Iran’s oil is not able to reach the market.

How big an impact has the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had on supply?

Oil export figures also clearly show how bad the situation is. By the end of March, there was a decline of 6.9 million barrels per day of crude oil sent by sea in the world. By April 20, it declined further by 1.8 million barrels per day. That means the overall supply has reduced by 8.8 million barrels per day as compared to earlier. If the situation continues like this, then this will be the lowest supply level after the Covid period of June 2020. Many countries have oil reserves, but even these cannot compensate for such huge and continuous losses. If these reserves are used now, more oil will be needed to replenish them later.

Is this crisis bigger than previous oil crises?

There was also an oil crisis in 1973, when about 7 percent of the world’s supply was lost. But at that time the situation could have been improved through talks. Today’s situation is different. Currently about 13 percent supply has been affected and this is a real disruption, which is not easy to fix quickly. The Middle East supplies about 30 percent of the world’s oil. If the situation worsens, this part may also be in danger. Even if the war ends quickly, it may take months or even years for supplies to return to normal.

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Iran War Impact on India: The increasing tension in West Asia has made the global environment restless and its impact is now being felt directly in India. The recent statements of US President Donald Trump have created new concerns in international trade and energy markets. Experts believe that if the situation worsens, it will have a direct impact on the pockets of the common man.

Global anxiety increased due to Trump’s warning

US President Donald Trump is continuously giving tough statements, due to which the atmosphere of uncertainty has deepened at the international level. In his latest statement he has indicated that America may close the Strait of Hormuz. This is the same route through which a large part of the world’s oil passes. After this warning, the turmoil in the global markets has intensified.

Indian business organizations expressed deep concern

After this statement of Trump, India’s leading business organization Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) has also expressed concern. While talking to the team of ABP Live, Chairman of the organization Brijesh Goyal has clearly said that if the Strait of Hormuz is closed then it can become the biggest energy crisis since the 1970s. He says that about 20 percent of the world’s oil passes through this route, so if the supply is disrupted, a sharp rise in prices is certain.

India, China and Russia are most affected by the oil crisis.

According to Brijesh Goyal, the Strait of Hormuz is the world’s largest energy chokepoint. If it stops, there could be a huge shortage of crude oil in big importing countries like India, China and Russia. The increase in the prices of petrol and diesel will have a direct impact on the transport and manufacturing sectors, which will result in an increase in the prices of everyday items.

Inflation pressure already there, signs of situation worsening

CTI General Secretaries Ramesh Ahuja and Gurmeet Arora said that the retail inflation rate in India during March has been recorded at 3.4 percent. The prices of paan and tobacco have increased by 4.23 percent, while those of food and beverages have increased by 3.71 percent. An increase of 2.45 percent has been recorded in clothing and footwear, 1.97 percent in housing, water, electricity and gas and 2.88 percent in restaurant services.

If Hormuz is closed, inflation may exceed 4 percent

Brijesh Goyal believes that if the Strait of Hormuz is closed then the inflation rate in India may increase rapidly. While it was 3.4 percent in March, in case of such a crisis it can go beyond 4 percent. In such a situation, common people may have to be prepared for a new phase of inflation in the coming time.