UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Iran threatens regional oil blockade over U.S. actions
Q1. The designated inbound and outbound shipping lanes used by international tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz lie mostly within the territorial waters of which one of the following states?
- A. Iran
- B. Oman
- C. United Arab Emirates
- D. Qatar
Q2. The right of ships and aircraft to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without hindrance is legally secured primarily under which one of the following?
- A. The regime of transit passage through international straits under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982
- B. The regime of innocent passage through territorial seas under UNCLOS, 1982
- C. The Montreux Convention governing passage through straits
- D. The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)
Q3. With reference to Iranian locations in the news over the Strait of Hormuz confrontation, consider the following:
1. Bushehr — site of Iran's only operational civilian nuclear power plant.
2. Bandar Abbas — a port on the Strait of Hormuz and capital of Hormozgan province.
3. Jask — an Iranian port situated on the Gulf of Oman, outside the Strait of Hormuz.
4. Chah Bahar (Bandar Beheshti) — a port located inside the Persian Gulf.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- Bushehr — site of Iran's only operational civilian nuclear power plant.
- Bandar Abbas — a port on the Strait of Hormuz and capital of Hormozgan province.
- Jask — an Iranian port situated on the Gulf of Oman, outside the Strait of Hormuz.
- Chah Bahar (Bandar Beheshti) — a port located inside the Persian Gulf.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 1, 2 and 4
- C. 1, 2 and 3
- D. 2, 3 and 4
Q4. Consider the following statements comparing Iranian coastal locations:
1. Bandar Abbas is situated on the Strait of Hormuz, whereas Jask lies to its east on the Gulf of Oman.
2. Bushehr, on Iran's Persian Gulf coast, hosts the country's only operational nuclear power plant, whereas Chah Bahar lies on the Gulf of Oman.
3. Both Jask and Chah Bahar lie within the Strait of Hormuz itself.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Bandar Abbas is situated on the Strait of Hormuz, whereas Jask lies to its east on the Gulf of Oman.
- Bushehr, on Iran's Persian Gulf coast, hosts the country's only operational nuclear power plant, whereas Chah Bahar lies on the Gulf of Oman.
- Both Jask and Chah Bahar lie within the Strait of Hormuz itself.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q5. The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), of which Chabahar is a maritime node, is best described as which one of the following?
- A. A roughly 7,200 km multimodal freight route linking India through Iran and the Caspian Sea onward to Russia and Europe
- B. A maritime-only corridor exclusively linking western Indian ports to the United Arab Emirates
- C. A corridor connecting India to China entirely through Pakistan's Gwadar port
- D. A rail-only line running wholly within Iranian territory
Q6. With reference to India's involvement at Chabahar port, consider the following statements:
1. India operates the Shahid Beheshti terminal through India Ports Global Limited.
2. Chabahar gives India overland access to Afghanistan and Central Asia while bypassing Pakistan.
3. Chabahar is located on Iran's Persian Gulf coast.
4. Chabahar serves as the maritime anchor of the International North-South Transport Corridor.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- India operates the Shahid Beheshti terminal through India Ports Global Limited.
- Chabahar gives India overland access to Afghanistan and Central Asia while bypassing Pakistan.
- Chabahar is located on Iran's Persian Gulf coast.
- Chabahar serves as the maritime anchor of the International North-South Transport Corridor.
- A. 1 only
- B. 3 only
- C. 1 and 3
- D. 3 and 4
Q7. The officially stated area of responsibility of the US Fifth Fleet, headquartered in Bahrain, is described as encompassing the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and parts of an ocean. Counting these, how many distinct named maritime zones fall within its area of responsibility?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Four
- D. Five
Q8. The principal headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet is located at which one of the following?
- A. Manama, Bahrain
- B. Al Udeid, Qatar
- C. Camp Arifjan, Kuwait
- D. Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
Q9. Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL), which manages India's underground crude oil reserves, is best described as which one of the following?
- A. A Special Purpose Vehicle under the Government of India that builds and maintains emergency strategic crude oil reserves
- B. A public-sector oil marketing company that retails petrol and diesel across India
- C. The statutory regulator that fixes domestic retail fuel prices
- D. A sovereign wealth fund that acquires equity stakes in overseas oil fields
Q10. The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding of June 2026 is best characterised as which one of the following?
- A. An interim ceasefire framework between the United States and Iran, mediated by Pakistan, rather than a final peace treaty
- B. A permanent peace treaty formally and conclusively ending all US–Iran hostilities
- C. A UN Security Council resolution imposing a no-fly zone over Iran
- D. A bilateral civil-nuclear cooperation agreement between Iran and Pakistan
Q11. Consider the following:
1. Quds Force
2. Basij
3. Aerospace Force
4. Artesh
Which of the above is/are correctly identified as a service branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)?
- Quds Force
- Basij
- Aerospace Force
- Artesh
- A. 1, 2 and 4
- B. 2, 3 and 4
- C. 1, 2 and 3
- D. 1, 3 and 4
Q12. With reference to the Brent crude oil benchmark, consider the following statements:
1. It is derived from oil produced in North Sea fields.
2. It is classified as a light, sweet crude.
3. It is widely used as the reference price for internationally traded, waterborne crude.
4. It is the benchmark for crude produced and priced primarily in the inland United States market.
Which of the statements given above is/are correctly identified?
- It is derived from oil produced in North Sea fields.
- It is classified as a light, sweet crude.
- It is widely used as the reference price for internationally traded, waterborne crude.
- It is the benchmark for crude produced and priced primarily in the inland United States market.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1, 2 and 3
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1, 3 and 4