India's Sensex index opened lower today after crude oil prices surged past $96 per barrel, driven by renewed US strikes on Iran and Houthi attacks on oil tankers in the Red Sea. The Sensex opened at 76,515.10, down 239.95 points or 0.31%. Elevated oil prices pose a significant risk to India, the world's third-largest importer and consumer of crude oil, as they could fuel inflationary pressures, widen the trade deficit, weigh on economic growth, and squeeze corporate profit margins.