Protests, power politics and petroleum: why cheering Tehran’s chaos may cost India dearly

Iran Unrest, Oil Shock and India’s Blind Spot

Indian social media today resembles a digital street celebration. Timelines are crowded with videos of a woman setting fire to Iran&rsquo;s Supreme Leader&rsquo;s portrait, clips of crowds chanting in provincial towns, and slogans predicting the imminent collapse of the Islamic Republic. To many, especially among India&rsquo;s right-wing online ecosystem, this unrest is framed as a moral victory: another &ldquo;Muslim government&rdquo; on the brink, another ideological foe crumbling.
This reaction is emotional, ideological and dangerously shallow. It ignores the deeper geopolitical, energy and economicconsequences that a destabilised Iran could unleash upon the world&mdash;and upon India itself.
Because while hashtags trend, oil tankers burn.
<h3 data-start="994" data-end="1051">Three weeks of unrest: anger that has outgrown reform</h3>
What began in late December 2025 as a strike by shopkeepers over currency collapse and economic hardship has, within weeks, mutated into the most serious nationwide upheaval Iran has witnessed in years. Protests have spread across dozens of cities and towns, including regions usually distant from political mobilisation. The language of dissent has shifted decisively: from demands for economic relief to outright rejection of the political system itself.
The death toll has crossed 500 civilians, with over a hundred members of security forces also reportedly killed. Thousands have been detained. The state has responded with internet blackouts, disrupted communications, flight cancellations, and an increasingly visible security presence. The currency has lost enormous value in months. Inflation has surged. Water scarcity is worsening. Poverty is no longer peripheral&mdash;it is central to the Iranian crisis.
What is most revealing are the slogans echoing on the streets: &ldquo;No to Gaza, no to Lebanon, my life for Iran.&rdquo; &ldquo;Leave Syria, take care of us.&rdquo;
These are not cultural protests. These are political indictments of a state that, in the eyes of many Iranians, has spent its national wealth on external proxy wars while citizens struggle to afford bread, medicine and electricity.
Iranians are not protesting because they are &ldquo;Gen Z Westernised rebels.&rdquo; They are protesting because their dignity, livelihood, and future have been hollowed out.
That courage deserves respect. But romanticising regime collapse without calculating consequences is intellectual laziness.
<h3 data-start="2669" data-end="2700">The oil beneath the slogans</h3>
Iran is not just a troubled nation. It is a major energy power with the world&rsquo;s fourth-largest oil reserves. Despite sanctions, it still exports roughly 1.5 to 1.8 million barrels per day, generating billions in revenue and supplying crucial markets.
Most of this oil flows to China, with smaller volumes to West Asia and partners operating in sanction grey zones. This oil does not move through clean, visible supply chains&mdash;it moves through shadow networks, discounted deals, and geopolitical bargains. But it still moves. And it still matters.
Now imagine three scenarios:
<ol data-start="3292" data-end="3459">
<li data-start="3292" data-end="3341">
Protests escalate into sustained instability
</li>
<li data-start="3342" data-end="3390">
The United States launches military strikes
</li>
<li data-start="3391" data-end="3459">
Iran retaliates through regional proxies or maritime disruption
</li>
</ol>
In all three, the oil market convulses.
The most vulnerable pressure point? The Strait of Hormuz.
<h3 data-start="3572" data-end="3621">Strait of Hormuz: the artery of global energy</h3>
More than 14 million barrels of crude oil per day pass through this narrow maritime corridor. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar&mdash;all depend on it. Even partial disruption sends insurance premiums soaring, reroutes tankers, and spikes prices overnight.
Iran does not need to &ldquo;close&rdquo; the strait entirely. It only needs to make it unsafe.
Through naval harassment, drone threats, proxy actions via Houthis, or strategic ambiguity, Tehran can inject fear into maritime markets. We have already seen how shipping disruptions in the Red Sea have rattled global logistics. Hormuz would be exponentially worse.
If this artery clogs, the result is predictable: Oil prices surge &rarr; Transport costs rise &rarr; Food prices inflate &rarr; Currency weakens &rarr; Middle classes suffer.
India imports over 85% of its crude oil. Our inflation is structurally sensitive to energy prices. Our fiscal stability, consumer sentiment, and industrial input costs all hinge on predictable fuel pricing.
A distant war becomes a domestic crisis.
<h3 data-start="4670" data-end="4711">The dangerous fantasy of &ldquo;good chaos&rdquo;</h3>
Some argue that a weak or collapsing Iran benefits the West, Israel and their regional partners. Strategically, this is partially true. A fractured Iran would struggle to project power through proxies. Its nuclear ambitions could stall. Its regional posture would weaken.
But geopolitics is never a one-sided chessboard.
China cannot afford an Iranian collapse. Iran is central to Beijing&rsquo;s discounted energy strategy. Chinese refiners rely heavily on sanctioned oil. If Iran&rsquo;s supply is disrupted while Venezuelan volumes shrink and Russian exports face logistical constraints, China&rsquo;s energy security is threatened. Beijing may avoid direct military engagement, but it will ensure Tehran does not economically suffocate. Support can come through finance, logistics, diplomacy and covert supply.
Russia has its own strategic calculus. Through the Caspian Sea, it retains a secure logistical corridor into Iran&mdash;untouchable by Western navies. In a blockade scenario, Moscow can continue resupplying Tehran. For a Russia locked in confrontation with the West, Iran&rsquo;s survival is not ideological&mdash;it is strategic.
This is how regional unrest morphs into global confrontation architecture.
<h3 data-start="5924" data-end="5961">Where does the Middle East stand?</h3>
Contrary to simplistic assumptions, Arab states are unlikely to openly cheer regime change through war.
<ul data-start="6068" data-end="6363">
<li data-start="6068" data-end="6178">
Saudi Arabia seeks stability over chaos; it is rebalancing diplomacy, not seeking regional firestorms.
</li>
<li data-start="6179" data-end="6231">
UAE prioritises commerce and predictability.
</li>
<li data-start="6232" data-end="6261">
Qatar plays mediator.
</li>
<li data-start="6262" data-end="6299">
Iraq cannot afford spillover.
</li>
<li data-start="6300" data-end="6363">
Even Israel&rsquo;s regional partners fear uncontrolled escalation.
</li>
</ul>
Public alignment with Washington is one thing. Quiet anxiety is another. Most regional capitals would prefer a contained Iran to a burning one.
Because instability does not respect borders.
<h3 data-start="6562" data-end="6629">The Indian paradox: celebrating others while ignoring ourselves</h3>
There is an uncomfortable hypocrisy in Indian online reactions.
Indians cheer Iranian youth for protesting corruption, repression and economic despair. Yet many hesitate to confront similar anxieties at home: Rising living costs. Deepening social polarisation. Unemployment. Erosion of institutional trust.
Iranians are on the streets risking death for dignity. Indians sit behind screens mocking their pain while indulging in ideological gratification.
The Iranian protests should inspire introspection, not celebration.
They show what citizen courage looks like. They expose what state failure produces. They warn what unchecked economic collapse can trigger.
<h3 data-start="7331" data-end="7377">If war erupts: the economic chain reaction</h3>
Should Washington and Tel Aviv opt for direct military action, several outcomes are likely:
<ul data-start="7472" data-end="7714">
<li data-start="7472" data-end="7528">
Temporary removal of Iranian barrels from the market
</li>
<li data-start="7529" data-end="7569">
Disruption risks across Gulf exports
</li>
<li data-start="7570" data-end="7605">
Panic buying in futures markets
</li>
<li data-start="7606" data-end="7667">
Brent crude potentially crossing psychological thresholds
</li>
<li data-start="7668" data-end="7714">
Emerging markets absorbing the worst shock
</li>
</ul>
For India, this means: Costlier fuel &rarr; Wider fiscal deficit &rarr; Rupee pressure &rarr; Imported inflation &rarr; Slower growth.
Energy is not ideology. It is arithmetic.
<h3 data-start="7886" data-end="7933">A crisis that demands maturity, not mockery</h3>
Iran today is a nation in deep pain. Its people are trapped between a rigid political structure and a collapsing economic reality. Their protests are legitimate. Their anger is justified. Their future is uncertain.
But geopolitical earthquakes do not deliver moral victories&mdash;they deliver economic aftershocks.
India must learn to view international crises through the lens of national interest, not religious sentiment. Because global energy markets do not care about hashtags. They respond only to instability.
And instability, once unleashed, rarely stops at someone else&rsquo;s border.

13 જાન્યુઆરી, 2026 | 12:23 IST

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