“The greatest threat to global energy security in history.” That is how the International Energy Agency has described the crisis. It was triggered by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, followed by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz ~ through which nearly a fifth of global oil flows daily. As a countermeasure, the U.S. imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports. A fragile two-week ceasefire came into effect on April 8, but diplomatic efforts in Islamabad, which brought the U.S. and Iran to the same table, failed. Iran temporarily reopened the Strait of Hormuz on April 17 for a brief period following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

A day later, Iran’s Sepah Navy reportedly forced back west out of the Strait of Hormuz two Indian-flagged vessels, including a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude, according to TankerTrackers.com, effectively re-closing the Strait. India voiced “deep concern” over the “shooting incident.” The name ‘Hormuz’ derives from ‘Ahura Mazda’ ~ the god of wisdom. This crisis has already begun imparting that wisdom: to nations, the necessity of conservation; to citizens, the meaning of civic responsibility. Governments, rich and developing alike ~ from Seoul to Colombo ~ have been forced to ask their citizens to consume less, and most have responded with creativity.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used a rare address to the nation to urge people to use public transport, which has been made free in some states, and to avoid overfilling their cars. Slovenia and Sri Lanka have limited each citizen to a certain number of litres of fuel per day. Thailand has ordered civil servants to take the stairs and set air conditioners to 27°C. The Maldives has introduced half-filled LPG cylinders for domestic cooking to ensure equitable distribution and discourage waste. The European Union has adopted the mantra that “the least expensive energy is unused,” with major cities switching off non-essential public lighting and monument illumination after 10 p.m. Notably, some of these countries are far more energy-secure than India.

Indian authorities, barring some restrictions on commercial LPG, have not launched any such public conservation campaigns. They have so far sought to reassure people to carry on ~ a message that is understandable and aimed at avoiding panic. But in doing so, is India missing an opportunity to become a permanently smarter, less wasteful nation? Community transport should be a top priority. France has scaled up its “Bike-to-Work” subsidies, paying citizens per kilometre travelled on foot or by bicycle. With the Philippines and Vietnam calling for national carpooling campaigns, and Australia discouraging driving, India should seize this crisis to push public transport.

India records over 150,000 road deaths each year ~ but the premature deaths caused by air pollution remain largely uncounted. For example, in Hyderabad, vehicles contribute 64 per cent of the pollution load (1,500 tonnes of daily emissions), with two-wheelers (78 per cent) and cars(11 per cent) emitting suspended particulate matter at levels over 20 times the WHO’s 30 mg/m³ standard, causing respiratory diseases. South Korea has introduced a five-day driving restriction system, under which cars are divided into five groups and each group is prohibited from driving on a designated weekday. President Lee Jae Myung has called for a nationwide energy-saving campaign urging citizens to take shorter showers, charge devices during the day, and use heavy appliances like washing machines only on weekends. Citizens are paid for using less energy than they did the previous month. These are behaviours that many Indians already practise ~ though without much social recognition.

India must institutionalise what its own traditions have always known: waste is a moral failure. In its report ‘Sheltering From Oil Shocks,’ the IEA recommends immediate demand-side measures such as lower highway speed limits, greater use of public transport, car-pooling, reduced business air travel, and targeted support for vulnerable consumers. Nations must also conserve energy and build resilience against future shocks. The Hormuz crisis will end, and oil prices will fall.

In such moments, when people are asked to consume less energy, they readily accept. The habits of a crisis, if institutionalised, can become the habits of a civilisation. This shift is also critical to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, which aims to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Pakistan hosted the most consequential diplomatic talks in decades ~ bringing the U.S. and Iran to the same table for the first time since the 1979 revolution ~ and deserves genuine credit for getting the parties this far. As former Pakistan ambassador to Iran Asif Durrani put it: “Your job is to take the horse to water.

You can’t make it drink.” In Islamabad, the horse did not drink. But who has the capacity to take the horse to water again? India has a functional strategic partnership with Washington and a civilisational bond with Iran that predates the Islamic Republic by thousands of years. India has no military entanglement on any side of this conflict. India’s aspiration to act as a Vishwaguru was visible during the G20 presidency and across recent global engagements. India could act decisively ~ reaching out to Washington, Tehran, and key Gulf stakeholders ~ and signal its willingness to host the next round of substantive talks in New Delhi.

The offer could be public and explicit, framed as the world’s largest democracy accepting its responsibility at a moment of genuine global danger. Pakistan may also be invited into a broader regional framework. Its recent engagement carries institutional value, and including Islamabad would signal regional ownership rather than Indian unilateralism. The prospective gains are clear. A durable settlement would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, ease the energy shock weighing on Indian growth, unlock Chabahar Port, and protect the livelihoods of nine million Indians in the Gulf.

The risk of attempting mediation and falling short is reputational and recoverable; the risk of doing nothing while the ceasefire expires is not just economic, but generational. The Doomsday Clock ~ a metaphor for how close humanity is to global catastrophe, particularly from nuclear war and climate change ~ stands at 85 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been. Hormuz ~ named for wisdom ~ is asking whether India is ready to be wise and bold in the same breath. The diplomatic effort will demand both credibility and courage. Who knows ~ the horse may drink in Delhi.

(The writer is founder member, 51ABI Foundation, and a transparency and equality advocate)

US-Iran tensions: Macron calls for stability, rejects ‘blockade’ approach on Iran; IDF strikes Lebanon despite ceasefire

US President Donald Trump says the Strait of Hormuz will reopen only after Iran agrees to a deal, while Tehran rejects claims of internal rifts.

Iran’s Hormuz power play: Draft bill to block Israeli-linked ships, dictate passage rules

Iran is pushing a new law to regulate ship movement through the Strait of Hormuz, tightening rules for certain countries amid rising regional tensions and strategic recalibration.

We welcome every step that leads to peace: India on 10-day Lebanon-Israel ceasefire

India on Friday welcomed the recently implemented a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, saying it welcomes every step that leads towards peace.

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