Hardeep Singh Puri To Visit Qatar Today - LNG In Focus?

Hardeep Singh Puri, the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, will be on an official visit to the State of Qatar on 9–10 April, 2026, the ministry said on Thursday. Qatar has formally begun to resume production to export natural gas following the US-Iran ceasefire. India is the world's fourth-largest LNG importer and relies on Qatar for about 41% of its gas imports. In 2024/25, India imported over 27 million metric tons of LNG, with Qatar supplying 11.2 million tons, ⁠according to government data.India has so far managed to shield domestic consumers from the impact of the West Asia conflict and rising energy prices, while stepping up engagement with key partners, including Iran, to safeguard energy security, government sources said.

The outreach, they added, will continue as New Delhi recalibrates ties in the region a day after the ceasefire.A day after ceasefire has been announced, we have decided to begin engagement, they said. India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar, will also be visiting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on April 11–12, 2026.

The US and Iran both claimed victory after reaching the agreement, and world leaders expressed relief as the ceasefire was announced on Tuesday. However, what followed were more drone and missile attacks that hit Iran and Gulf Arab countries. Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

Qatar Begins Work to Resume LNG Production After Ceasefire

Qatar is mobilising engineers and workers with the aim of resuming production at the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas export plant following a ceasefire in the war in West Asia, reported Bloomberg. The improvement in security conditions is allowing limited activity, and the facility is undergoing necessary maintenance ahead of a planned restart, said the people, who asked not to be identified as they are not authorised to speak with the media. Some production could begin to resume over the coming days, though it's not clear how quickly it could ramp up, and any return to significant output would require ships to be able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz