The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a flashpoint at the intersection of geopolitics and energy security. Analyse the strategic implications for India.

Q. The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a flashpoint at the intersection of geopolitics and energy security. Analyse the strategic implications for India. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

The Strait of Hormuz, barely 33 km wide at its narrowest and flanked by Iran and Oman/UAE, carries roughly a fifth of globally traded oil. Its disruption in 2026 — attacks on merchant vessels, a vetoed UN Security Council resolution [1], and oil prices spiking above $100/barrel [2] — converted a maritime chokepoint into the central node where great-power rivalry and energy security now intersect, with India among the most exposed stakeholders.

Economic and energy-security implications - Over half of India's crude and most of its LPG transit Hormuz; a 40%+ price surge [2] inflates the import bill, widens the current account deficit and imports inflation. - Freight and war-risk insurance costs rise sharply, hitting refiners and petrochemical exports. - Anchor response: Strategic Petroleum Reserves, IEA associate-member coordination, and source diversification (US, West Africa, Latin America).

Geopolitical and strategic implications - Sanctions squeeze: Russian crude cushioned India against Hormuz risk; the G7 signal of restoring sanctions on Russian oil shipments [4] narrows India's discounted-barrel option precisely when Gulf supply is unstable. - Balancing act: India must sustain ties with Iran (Chabahar, INSTC), the Gulf monarchies and the US simultaneously — a test of strategic autonomy. - Diaspora and remittances: ~9 million Indians in the Gulf face displacement and remittance risk during escalation.

Multilateral and legal implications - The Russia–China veto [1] and the fallback General Assembly debate [3] expose the Council's paralysis, strengthening India's case for UNSC reform and for defending UNCLOS transit passage. - Naval diplomacy: the Indian Navy's escort and mission-based deployments in the Gulf of Oman project India as a net security provider.

Reassembled, Hormuz shows that India's energy vulnerability, sanctions exposure and diaspora interests are a single strategic problem, not three. The durable answer lies in deeper strategic reserves, diversified and rupee-settled sourcing, an accelerated renewable transition, sustained maritime presence, and issue-based coalitions with Gulf partners — converting a chokepoint dependency into calibrated resilience consistent with India's pursuit of strategic autonomy and SDG-7 energy security.

(~330 words)

Sources: 1. China, Russian Federation Veto Security Council Draft Resolution by Gulf States to Safeguard International Shipping through Strait of Hormuz — UN Press, SC/16330 (April 2026) — veto of the Gulf-sponsored Hormuz navigation resolution; Council paralysis 2. General Assembly Debates Strait of Hormuz Closure after China, Russian Federation Veto Security Council Draft Resolution Presented by Gulf States — UN Press, GA/12758 (April 2026) — oil prices rising over 40% to around $100/barrel; trade and energy disruption 3. Security Council: Russia and China veto resolution on Strait of Hormuz — UN News (April 2026) — recourse to the General Assembly after the veto 4. At G7, Trump signals swift return of sanctions on Russian oil shipments — The Hindu (17 June 2026) — G7 signal on reimposing sanctions on Russian oil shipments