UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — War, waivers, trade pact likely to be on U.S. agenda of Foreign Secretary Misri

Q1. With reference to the Chabahar Port in Iran, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It is located on the Makran coast of Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province, facing the Gulf of Oman.
  2. It comprises two terminals, namely Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti.
  3. It lies on the Persian Gulf and is Iran's largest port on that coast.
  4. It is envisaged as a node of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 3 and 4

Q2. The 2024 long-term contract to equip and operate the General Cargo and Container Terminal (Shahid Beheshti) at Chabahar Port for ten years was signed, on the Indian side, exclusively by which entity?

  • A. India Ports Global Limited (IPGL)
  • B. Shipping Corporation of India Limited
  • C. Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority
  • D. Sagarmala Development Company Limited

Q3. Within the U.S. government, the primary agency that administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions — including the secondary sanctions and waivers affecting India's Iran and Russia trade — is:

  • A. the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Department of the Treasury
  • B. the Bureau of Industry and Security, Department of Commerce
  • C. the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, Department of State
  • D. the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)

Q4. Around Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's April 2026 Washington visit, how many U.S. sanctions waivers benefiting India were reported to be lapsing during April 2026?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Five

Q5. Consider the following statements comparing the two India-U.S. Joint Statements on trade. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 13 February 2025 Joint Statement launched the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations and targeted finalisation of its first tranche by fall 2025.
  2. The 7 February 2026 Joint Statement set out a framework for an 'Interim Agreement' on reciprocal trade.
  3. Both Joint Statements abandoned the 'Mission 500' goal of raising bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. Under the framework outlined in the 7 February 2026 India-U.S. Joint Statement, India signalled its intent to purchase about $500 billion of U.S. products (energy, aircraft and parts, technology, etc.) over a period of how many years?

  • A. Three years
  • B. Five years
  • C. Seven years
  • D. Ten years

Q7. The six-month Chabahar Port exemption secured around April 2026 was credited to the coordinated efforts of Indian diplomats. Which of the following are correctly identified in that context?

  1. Vinay Mohan Kwatra — India's Ambassador to the United States.
  2. Vikram Misri — Foreign Secretary of India.
  3. J.P. Singh — head of the Ministry of External Affairs' Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran (PAI) Division.
  4. S. Jaishankar — India's Ambassador to Iran.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q8. Any extension of the U.S. sanctions exemption for Chabahar Port beyond its stipulated term requires a certification that the exemption is 'vital to U.S. national security', to be provided to the U.S. Congress by which authority?

  • A. The U.S. Secretary of State
  • B. The U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
  • C. The Director of OFAC
  • D. The U.S. Trade Representative

Q9. In 2025, after an additional 25% tariff linked to Russian oil purchases, the cumulative U.S. tariff of 50% on Indian goods was notable because it was:

  • A. the highest imposed on any U.S. trading partner
  • B. the lowest among major Asian economies
  • C. identical to the tariff then applied to Chinese goods
  • D. fully exempted for energy imports

Q10. In February 2026 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Trump-era reciprocal tariffs — a ruling widely seen as easing pressure on India's Russian oil imports — on the ground that the President lacked authority under which law?

  • A. the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)
  • B. Section 301 of the Trade Act, 1974
  • C. Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, 1962
  • D. the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, 1930

Q11. Vikram Misri, who led India's April 2026 Washington engagement, took charge in July 2024 as which numbered Foreign Secretary of India?

  • A. 33rd
  • B. 34th
  • C. 35th
  • D. 36th

Q12. The additional 25% U.S. tariff imposed on Indian imports in August 2025 as a penalty for purchasing Russian oil was removed, with effect from 7 February 2026, through which instrument?

  • A. a Presidential Executive Order
  • B. an Act of the U.S. Congress
  • C. an OFAC general licence
  • D. a World Trade Organization dispute ruling