India Turns to US as West Asia War Disrupts Gulf Supplies

India has increased its imports of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States as tensions in West Asia disrupt supplies from traditional Gulf suppliers. According to data from maritime intelligence firm Kpler, India imported about 0.62 million tonnes of LPG from the US in August, accounting for more than 73% of the country's LPG imports.

The July US volume was almost equal to the highest-ever monthly LPG import from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India's traditional supplier, which was 0.891 million tonnes in October 2025. Imports from Gulf suppliers have fallen sharply after the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the outbreak of war between Iran and the US.

The shift towards the US has also been visible in LNG imports, although India's sourcing pattern has been more diversified. LNG imports from Qatar, India's largest source of the fuel, fell to zero in April, while US supplies rose to about 0.75 million tonnes in August from 0.72 million tonnes in July.

Sumit Ritolia, senior manager - modelling at Kpler, noted that a large part of the change has been driven by constrained Middle Eastern availability and the need for Indian buyers to diversify and secure replacement cargoes.