India has purchased its first cargo of Iranian liquefied petroleum gas in years after the United States removed sanctions on Tehran’s oil and refined fuels for a period, according to LSEG trade flow data and sources cited by Reuters.

The tanker Aurora is carrying the Iranian LPG cargo and will reach the port of Mangalore. Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation will share the cargo. The buyer will make payment in rupees, according to sources. A trader handled the purchase, and India is exploring more Iranian LPG cargoes.

Data from London Stock Exchange Group shows that the tanker was earlier bound for China before it changed destination.

A government official said he does not have information about any Iranian cargo purchase. Rajesh Kumar Sinha from the federal shipping ministry said he has no information about loaded cargoes from Iran. India’s oil ministry and the three fuel retailers did not respond to requests for comment.

India stopped purchasing Iranian energy after the United States reimposed sanctions on Tehran in 2019.

The Strait of Hormuz blockade has cut about 90 percent of India’s LPG imports and exposed dependence on Gulf energy supply. India consumed 33.15 million metric tons of LPG last year. Imports met about 60 percent of demand, and about 90 percent of those imports passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

The government has cut LPG supplies to commercial and industrial users to protect household cooking gas stocks. Four tankers — Shivalik, Nanda Devi, Pine Gas, and Jag Vasant — have passed through the strait and are moving toward Indian ports.

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