Crucial dependence: West Asia’s share in Indian oil imports rose to 54% just before the Iran war

India entered the energy crisis brought on by the Iran war particularly susceptible to disruptions in West Asia, the latest government data shows. Not only was India importing nearly 91% of its crude oil requirements as of February 2026, a historic high, but more than 54% of these imports came from West Asian countries — their second-highest share in nearly 3.5 years.

The analysis by The Hindu of data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry shows that the volume of India’s total oil imports in February 2026 increased nearly 33% to 205.3 lakh tonnes over February last year.