Irony Of Iran War : Tanker Carrying Iran Crude Signals India After 7-Year Import Gap

1st April 2026 at 6:19 PM

1 minute read

Tehran : It is a war of absurdities and ironies. America’s objectives in its war with Iran have shifted quietly, and India, once forced to abandon Iranian oil under US sanctions, is once again turning to Tehran. A foreign-flagged tanker carrying nearly 6 lakh barrels of Iranian crude is expected to dock at Vadinar in Gujarat’s Deendayal Port by April 4.

Real-time data from Kpler’s MarineTraffic shows the Eswatini-flagged crude oil tanker Ping Shun is heading towards India. This is a significant shift in India’s energy sourcing, even as New Delhi has again shifted to discounted Russian crude that once invited US President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Trump had charged that India’s heavy buying of Russian oil was directly fuelling the Ukraine war. India is turning back to Tehran even as the US-led military actions against Iran have disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

As of Wednesday, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has stranded at least 10 foreign tankers and 18 Indian vessels, with about half carrying energy supplies meant for India, on the western side of the waterway. The US first reimposed sweeping sanctions on Iran after withdrawing from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

Washington cited concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, ballistic missile development and support for regional proxies. The “maximum pressure” campaign targeted Iran’s energy sector, making it risky for third countries to buy Iranian oil without facing secondary sanctions. India, which had long relied on Iranian crude for its refineries due to compatible grades, favourable credit terms and geographic proximity, stopped imports after the US waiver expired in May 2019.

Then came Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Discounted Russian crude became a lifeline. Russia’s share in India’s oil imports, which was negligible, under 2%, before the war, surged to peaks of 35-40% in 2024-25, with volumes often exceeding 1.5-2 million barrels per day (bpd) at times.