Lead

India, hit by what its oil minister calls the biggest energy supply shock in decades during the Middle East war, is expanding domestic crude exploration. The country, the world's third-largest importer of oil, faced major disruptions due to restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict between the United States and Iran. With a temporary US-Iran deal in place to pause hostilities, oil and gas shipments are flowing through the Gulf waterway again, and restrictions and price hikes in India are being rolled back.

Coverage comparison

Both Dawn and the South China Morning Post report the same core facts: India is expanding domestic crude exploration in response to the energy supply shock, the country faced disruptions due to Strait of Hormuz restrictions, and a temporary US-Iran deal has restored shipments. The two outlets also share the framing that the expansion is a response to the conflict.

Dawn provides additional details, including the fact that India's domestic crude production meets only 10% of its needs, that India has increased its crude suppliers from 27 to 41 countries, and direct quotes from the oil minister, who is described as "exceptionally bullish" about the future of domestic production. The South China Morning Post's coverage is more limited, focusing on the basic narrative and quoting the minister about bidding out unexplored area.

Key claims

According to the oil minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, India is in the process of bidding out about 250,000 square kilometres (96,500 square miles) of unexplored area. "We are currently in the process… to bid out about 250,000 square kilometres of unexplored area," Puri told AFP, as reported by Dawn.

India's domestic crude production in 2025-2026 was 25.98 million metric tonnes, according to the oil ministry, as reported by Dawn. That meets just 10% of India's crude needs, equivalent to roughly 522,000 barrels per day — a figure well below its production peak of just more than 900,000 bpd in 2011.

India survived the energy crunch by expanding its crude suppliers from 27 to 41 countries, including Iran, Venezuela, greater purchases from Russia, and several African nations. This detail appears only in Dawn's reporting.

Puri has hailed what he calls an "ocean of energy opportunities" off India's Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. The country's domestic crude production is concentrated in the west — in its Mumbai offshore fields, Rajasthan and Gujarat — as well as the northeastern state of Assam.

Puri said India had a "pragmatic approach" that put its energy needs above "ideological considerations." This statement appears in response to criticism from the United States and Europe over India's purchase of Russian oil, with critics arguing that it bankrolled Moscow's war against Kyiv, as reported by Dawn.

Puri is "exceptionally bullish" about the future of domestic crude production, according to Dawn's reporting.