UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Inter-Ministerial Briefing on Recent Developments in West Asia

Q1. Operation Sindhu, launched on 18 June 2025 to evacuate Indian nationals from the Iran–Israel conflict zone, was officially announced and coordinated by which one of the following?

  • A. Ministry of External Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Defence
  • C. Ministry of Home Affairs
  • D. Ministry of Civil Aviation

Q2. Which one of the following ministries is the lead convening ministry of the Inter-Ministerial Briefings on Recent Developments in West Asia held at the National Media Centre in 2026?

  • A. Ministry of External Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
  • C. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
  • D. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

Q3. With reference to the Strait of Hormuz, consider the following statements: 1. It connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. 2. It lies between Iran to the north and the Musandam Peninsula of Oman to the south. 3. It is the primary maritime export route for crude oil shipped from Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. 4. About 90 per cent of India's crude oil imports transit through this strait. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.
  2. It lies between Iran to the north and the Musandam Peninsula of Oman to the south.
  3. It is the primary maritime export route for crude oil shipped from Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
  4. About 90 per cent of India's crude oil imports transit through this strait.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • C. 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. At the Inter-Ministerial Briefings on Recent Developments in West Asia, the assessment of risks to India's crude and LPG imports transiting the Strait of Hormuz and the coordination of domestic energy supply continuity is led by which one of the following?

  • A. Ministry of External Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
  • C. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
  • D. Ministry of Civil Aviation

Q5. With reference to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries that host large Indian diaspora populations, consider the following countries: 1. Oman 2. Bahrain 3. Iraq 4. Jordan Which of the above are correctly identified as member states of the GCC?

  1. Oman
  2. Bahrain
  3. Iraq
  4. Jordan
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q6. According to the World Bank's data on remittance flows for 2024, India retained its position as the world's largest recipient of remittances. Approximately how much did India receive in remittance inflows in 2024?

  • A. USD 89 billion
  • B. USD 109 billion
  • C. USD 129 billion
  • D. USD 149 billion

Q7. With reference to the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) Memorandum of Understanding signed during the G20 New Delhi Summit, 2023, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1. Saudi Arabia is among the original signatories of the IMEC MoU.
  2. 2. Egypt was one of the eight founding signatories of the IMEC MoU at the G20 New Delhi Summit.
  3. 3. Germany is a signatory to the IMEC MoU.
  4. 4. Israel is the only West Asian country that is an original signatory of the IMEC MoU.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. In the context of India's connectivity engagement with Iran, the term 'Shahid Beheshti terminal', frequently mentioned in official briefings, most appropriately refers to:

  • A. The container and freight terminal at Chabahar Port whose operation was entrusted to India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL) under a 10-year long-term contract signed with Iran in May 2024.
  • B. The Iranian rail-head at Bandar Abbas through which Indian cargo enters the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
  • C. A dry port near Zahedan developed by Indian Railways to link Chabahar with the Afghan border at Zaranj.
  • D. The crude-oil offshore terminal in the Persian Gulf where Indian refiners lifted discounted Iranian crude under the 2012 rupee-rial arrangement.

Q9. With reference to recent Indian evacuation operations conducted by the Ministry of External Affairs, consider the following pairings of the operation with the country from which Indian nationals were evacuated: Which of the above pairings are correctly matched?

  1. Operation Ganga (2022) — Indians evacuated from Ukraine through transit hubs in Romania, Hungary, Poland, Moldova and Slovakia.
  2. Operation Kaveri (2023) — Indians evacuated from Sudan via Port Sudan and Jeddah using IAF sorties and Indian Navy ships.
  3. Operation Ajay (2023) — Indians evacuated from Iran during the Israel–Hamas hostilities.
  4. Operation Raahat (2015) — Indians evacuated from Yemen, with the operation coordinated from Djibouti.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q10. Operation Raahat (April 2015), India's evacuation mission from war-torn Yemen, was personally led on the ground from Djibouti by which one of the following then-serving Union Ministers?

  • A. Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs
  • B. Gen. (Retd.) V.K. Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs
  • C. Shri M.J. Akbar, Minister of State for External Affairs
  • D. Shri Gen. (Retd.) V.K. Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways

Q11. In the context of the 2026 incident off the Oman coast in which Indian seafarers aboard a foreign-flagged merchant vessel had to be rescued, which one of the following served as the nodal Union Ministry that, through the Directorate General of Shipping, coordinated the repatriation of Indian seafarers from the Gulf region?

  • A. Ministry of External Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
  • C. Ministry of Defence
  • D. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas

Q12. With reference to India's response to the 2025 Iran–Israel conflict (Operation Sindhu) as compared with the response to the 2026 attack on a merchant vessel carrying Indian seafarers off the Oman coast, consider the following statements: 1. Operation Sindhu (2025) evacuated more than 4,400 Indian nationals from Iran and Israel using special flights, including Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft, whereas the 2026 Oman-coast rescue relied primarily on at-sea coordination between the Indian Coast Guard's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre and Omani authorities. 2. Both Operation Sindhu (2025) and the 2026 seafarer rescue were conducted solely by the Ministry of Defence, with no civilian ministry playing a coordinating role. 3. Under Operation Sindhu, Indian nationals stranded in Israel were brought out through land corridors via Jordan and Egypt, with onward flights from Amman and Sharm el-Sheikh. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Operation Sindhu (2025) evacuated more than 4,400 Indian nationals from Iran and Israel using special flights, including Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft, whereas the 2026 Oman-coast rescue relied primarily on at-sea coordination between the Indian Coast Guard's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre and Omani authorities.
  2. Both Operation Sindhu (2025) and the 2026 seafarer rescue were conducted solely by the Ministry of Defence, with no civilian ministry playing a coordinating role.
  3. Under Operation Sindhu, Indian nationals stranded in Israel were brought out through land corridors via Jordan and Egypt, with onward flights from Amman and Sharm el-Sheikh.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q13. Which one of the following entities is directly responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of India's underground crude oil Strategic Petroleum Reserves?

  • A. Petronet LNG Limited
  • B. Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Oil Industry Development Board
  • C. Engineers India Limited, under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
  • D. Indian Oil Corporation Limited, through its Pipelines Division