Fact-Check: Did India Threaten Countries Over Iranian Oil? No, The Video Is A Deepfake One

The government on Monday flagged a purported video circulating on social media as a deepfake, warning that it falsely attributes statements to a senior official of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. The video falsely claims to show a Joint Secretary in the ministry stating that India would target countries receiving Iranian oil and those supporting Iran following alleged attacks on Indian commercial ships. In a post, the Press Information Bureau’s fact-check unit said the video has been digitally manipulated.The post on X by PIB Fact Check read: Pakistani propaganda accounts are circulating a digitally manipulated video, falsely showing Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, stating that: 'We have been assured by senior government officials

that the Iranian terrorist attacks on Indian commercial ships shall not be left unanswered. From now onwards, all countries receiving Iranian oil supply & as well as those countries that provide terrorist Iranian regime with weapons and arms, remain our target.'

“Beware! This is an AI-generated deepfake video,” the PIB Fact Check said, urging people not to share unverified content.The government also shared the original video of the official, identified as Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing and Oil Refinery), to counter the misleading claims.In the original clip, Sharma speaks about measures to manage fuel supply, including activating alternate fuel options to ease pressure on LPG and gas channels.“Alternate fuel options are being activated to ease pressure on LPG and gas channels. On quarterly basis, Government of India does an allocation of kerosene to the states. And every quarter, we are making an allocation of almost 1 lakh kiloliter. Today, the order has been released and another 48,000 kiloliter of kerosene will be released to the state governments. Again the role of the state government is very crucial in terms of identification of the beneficiaries and also the distribution,” she said in the video.

The PIB said such manipulated videos are being circulated in a coordinated attempt to mislead the public and create confusion. It advised citizens to rely only on official and credible sources for information and to verify content before sharing it online.

Separately, the government also dismissed claims circulating on social media that India has only “5–10 days of oil reserves left,” calling them misleading and urging citizens not to panic.In a statement, the Press Information Bureau’s fact-check unit said there is no shortage of petrol, diesel or LPG anywhere in the country and that fuel supplies remain stable and under constant monitoring.“This claim is misleading,” the PIB Fact Check said in a post on March 28, adding that the overall fuel situation is “stable, secure, and continuously monitored.”

The government said India maintains a total reserve capacity of around 74 days, while the current stock cover stands at approximately 60 days. This includes crude oil, petroleum products and strategic reserves stored in underground caverns. Officials said the reserves ensure nearly two months of assured fuel availability across the country.