UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — U.S. bombs Kharg Island; Iran hits back

Q1. How many supertankers can Kharg Island's crude oil export terminal load simultaneously?

  • A. 6
  • B. 8
  • C. 10
  • D. 12

Q2. Consider the following statements about Kharg Island. Which of the above is NOT correct?

  1. Kharg Island is situated in the northern Persian Gulf.
  2. Kharg Island handles approximately 90% of Iran's crude oil exports.
  3. Kharg Island is one of the few islands in the Persian Gulf with natural freshwater resources.
  4. Crude oil export operations on Kharg Island are managed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 1 and 4

Q3. Consider the following statements about the Strait of Hormuz. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and subsequently to the Arabian Sea.
  2. The shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz lie mostly in Iranian territorial waters.
  3. In 2024, approximately 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption passed through the Strait.
  4. Qatar is the primary source of LNG that transits the Strait of Hormuz.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. Which of the following Iranian entities exercises primary operational control over maritime traffic in the Persian Gulf, including at the Strait of Hormuz?

  • A. Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN)
  • B. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGC-N)
  • C. Iran's Ministry of Ports and Maritime Affairs
  • D. National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC)

Q5. Which branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) specialises in unconventional warfare, proxy training, and arming non-state actors such as Hezbollah and the Houthis?

  • A. IRGC Basij
  • B. IRGC Aerospace Force
  • C. IRGC Quds Force
  • D. IRGC Ground Forces

Q6. Which branch of the IRGC is the largest by uniformed troop strength, with personnel deployed across all 31 provinces of Iran?

  • A. IRGC Quds Force
  • B. IRGC Basij
  • C. IRGC Aerospace Force
  • D. IRGC Ground Forces

Q7. In the context of the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988), the term 'Tanker War' most precisely refers to which of the following?

  • A. Iraq's land-based campaign using long-range artillery to destroy Iran's oil fields in Khuzestan province
  • B. The maritime phase (1984–1988) during which both sides launched attacks on more than 100 oil tankers in the Persian Gulf
  • C. A covert US naval operation to escort Iranian oil tankers through the Gulf and prevent Soviet interference
  • D. Iran's naval blockade of Iraq's Basra port aimed at halting Iraqi crude exports

Q8. Consider the following statements about events and outcomes during the Tanker War phase (1984–1988) of the Iran-Iraq War. Which of the above is NOT correct?

  1. Iraq stepped up air attacks specifically targeting Kharg Island from 1984 onward.
  2. Iran shifted its crude oil export operations to alternative loading facilities at Lavan Island and Sirri Island during the conflict.
  3. The Tanker War phase involved attacks on more than 100 oil tankers in the Persian Gulf.
  4. The United States and Western European nations never provided any form of naval protection to oil tankers transiting the Persian Gulf during the Tanker War.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q9. In 2026, which Union Ministry made a Parliamentary statement citing India's crude import diversification across 40 countries as a key buffer against Strait of Hormuz disruptions arising from the West Asia conflict?

  • A. Ministry of External Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • C. Ministry of Finance
  • D. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas

Q10. The formal declaration closing the Strait of Hormuz to all vessels during the 2026 West Asia conflict was made under the authority of which body?

  • A. Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • B. Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC)
  • C. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
  • D. Iran's regular Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN)

Q11. Consider the following statements about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The JCPOA was concluded in July 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 group, which comprises the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.
  2. Under the JCPOA, Iran agreed to reduce its enriched uranium stockpile by 98%.
  3. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was accorded monitoring and inspection authority over Iran's nuclear programme under the JCPOA.
  4. India was one of the P5+1 signatories of the JCPOA owing to its status as a recognised nuclear-weapons state.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q12. Consider the following statements comparing the 2026 West Asia conflict's impact on Gulf states with earlier episodes of regional tension. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Unlike the 2019 Abqaiq-Khurais attacks that were confined to Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure, the 2026 conflict extended drone and missile strikes to the UAE, including an oil facility in Fujairah on the UAE's east coast.
  2. The missile that struck the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad during the 2026 conflict destroyed the main chancery building of the embassy.
  3. During the 2026 conflict, drone attacks attributed to pro-Iranian Iraqi militia groups targeted U.S. embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, in addition to the Baghdad compound.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3