India's oil imports drop amid West Asia crisis
India's crude oil imports have dropped sharply, down to just 1.9 million barrels in the week ended 6 March 2026, compared to a Feb 2026 weekly average of 25 million barrels.
The main reason? Ongoing turmoil in West Asia has disrupted supplies from key Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
Exports from these countries have also seen a major cut
Saudi Arabia's oil exports tumbled from 42 million barrels per week in Feb 2026 to just 12 million by the second week of March 2026.
Iraq and the UAE also saw big export cuts amid regional disruptions, including attacks on energy infrastructure, making it even tougher for countries like India to get steady supplies.
India is now getting most of its crude from outside
To keep things running, India is now getting 70% of its crude from outside the Strait of Hormuz, up from 55% before, all by tapping into supplies from about 40 different countries.
Qatar's LNG capacity has been hit badly
Attacks in Qatar damaged nearly one-fifth of its LNG capacity, slashing India's gas imports from there.
Still, almost one-half of India's imported gas is coming from Qatar, showing just how important these links remain, even when times get rough.