India, April 1 -- The quiet diplomacy and the naval escort that India required to shepherd four of its gas tankers through the Strait of Hormuz in mid-March, suggest that oil and gas trades are no longer purely commercial-but increasingly resemble a zero-sum game to be won by any means necessary.

The vessels, carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) widely used for cooking, were among 22 Indian-flagged ships stranded in the Persian Gulf, west of the Strait of Hormuz, after American and Israeli warplanes began bombing targets across Iran on February 28. Tehran launched retaliatory strikes and largely closed the strait. The 33 km-wide channel between Iran and its Gulf neighbours is the world's most strategically indispensable maritime passag...