By March 25, 2026, the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis — triggered by joint US-Israel military strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026 — had severely disrupted maritime navigation in the Persian Gulf. Over 1,600 vessels experienced GNSS (GPS) disruptions within a 24-hour period, with more than 1,100 ships in the Persian Gulf showing navigation anomalies that increased the risk of groundings and collisions. Ships were disabling their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders to avoid targeting, creating maritime surveillance blindspots.

India's energy security is directly threatened, as India imports 2.6 million barrels of crude oil per day and 54% of its LPG supply through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has selectively allowed transit for vessels from countries it considers friendly, including India and China. In response, India proposed mandating its indigenous NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) navigation system — developed by ISRO — as a GPS backup for all Indian-flagged vessels, providing resilience against broad-spectrum jamming. NavIC offers precision navigation across the Indian subcontinent and up to 1,500 km beyond its borders, reducing dependence on the American GPS.

Additional Indian responses include diversifying crude oil sources to the US, Brazil, and Russia; expanding Strategic Petroleum Reserves beyond the current 90-day capacity; and continuing Operation Sankalp naval escorts in the Arabian Sea. The crisis underscores India's strategic interest in sea lane security and the geopolitical vulnerability of its energy supply chains, particularly relevant for Rajasthan's oil refineries at Barmer and the HPCL refinery at Pachpadra.