India, Oct. 1 -- India has so far kept the petrol pumps running despite the turmoil around the Strait of Hormuz, but the claim of 80 days of fuel security masks a thinner strategic cushion

Seven months after the US-Israel war on Iran began, the Strait of Hormuz remains a battlefield, not a shipping lane. Brent crude rose to about $107 on Monday after President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal, nearly 50 per cent above its pre-war price. The June 17 memorandum to reopen the strait collapsed, and Houthi strikes on Saudi energy sites have widened the war. In Kolkata that same day, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri said India holds over 80 days of fuel and has "insulated" itself from the turbulence. How true is that optimism? Partly....