UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Saudi Arabia-Pakistan-Turkiye deal shows shifting stance with U.S.: Iran

Q1. Which one of the following correctly describes the machinery for operationalising the trilateral joint defence agreement concluded by Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan in 2026?

  • A. No standing implementing body is named; the extent and manner of military support are to be settled through consultations among the parties
  • B. A permanent trilateral Joint Deterrence Council, seated at Mecca and chaired by rotation, is vested with exclusive authority over all force deployments
  • C. The Gulf Cooperation Council's military wing, the Peninsula Shield Force, is designated as the sole executing agency for all commitments under the pact
  • D. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's General Secretariat at Jeddah is designated as the permanent secretariat, with binding authority over every member's obligations

Q2. The trilateral joint defence agreement among Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan was concluded in August 2026 by which one of the following sets of leaders, and at which venue?

  • A. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, at Mecca
  • B. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Asif Ali Zardari, at Riyadh
  • C. King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, at Jeddah
  • D. King Salman bin Abdulaziz, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, at Al-Yamamah Palace

Q3. Consider the following statements comparing the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement of September 2025 with the trilateral joint defence agreement of August 2026: 1. The 2025 bilateral agreement was signed at Al-Yamamah Palace, whereas the 2026 trilateral agreement was sealed at Mecca. 2. The 2025 bilateral agreement was confined to intelligence sharing, and provision for joint training and exercises was introduced for the first time only in the 2026 trilateral agreement. 3. Both agreements rest on the principle that an armed attack on one signatory is to be treated as an attack on the other party or parties. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 2025 bilateral agreement was signed at Al-Yamamah Palace, whereas the 2026 trilateral agreement was sealed at Mecca.
  2. The 2025 bilateral agreement was confined to intelligence sharing, and provision for joint training and exercises was introduced for the first time only in the 2026 trilateral agreement.
  3. Both agreements rest on the principle that an armed attack on one signatory is to be treated as an attack on the other party or parties.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. With reference to the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in September 2025, consider the following as its features or circumstances: 1. It provides a framework for joint training, exercises and intelligence sharing between the two states. 2. It commits the parties to employ 'all military means' in the event of aggression against either of them. 3. Saudi officials publicly characterised it as a direct and immediate response to the Israeli strike on Doha. 4. It was signed during the Pakistani Prime Minister's visit to Riyadh, where he was received by the Saudi Crown Prince. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. It provides a framework for joint training, exercises and intelligence sharing between the two states.
  2. It commits the parties to employ 'all military means' in the event of aggression against either of them.
  3. Saudi officials publicly characterised it as a direct and immediate response to the Israeli strike on Doha.
  4. It was signed during the Pakistani Prime Minister's visit to Riyadh, where he was received by the Saudi Crown Prince.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 3 and 4

Q5. Consider the following official positions articulated by governments in connection with the 2026 trilateral joint defence agreement: 1. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei — that the pact signals a change in regional perception of the United States, security being no commodity to be bought from 'false brokers'. 2. Turkiye's Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan — that the parties would determine the degree, form and format of mutual support through consultations. 3. Turkiye's Vice-President, Cevdet Yilmaz — that the pact is not directed at any particular country. 4. Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif — that the pact is 'purely defensive in nature' and open to other states willing to settle disputes peacefully. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei — that the pact signals a change in regional perception of the United States, security being no commodity to be bought from 'false brokers'.
  2. Turkiye's Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan — that the parties would determine the degree, form and format of mutual support through consultations.
  3. Turkiye's Vice-President, Cevdet Yilmaz — that the pact is not directed at any particular country.
  4. Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif — that the pact is 'purely defensive in nature' and open to other states willing to settle disputes peacefully.
  • A. 1 and 4
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4

Q6. Iran's official criticism of the 2026 trilateral joint defence agreement was directed principally at which one of the following?

  • A. The diminished credibility of the United States as a security guarantor for states of the region
  • B. The prospect of Pakistani nuclear warheads being physically stationed on Saudi Arabian territory
  • C. The continued exclusion of Iran from the Gulf Cooperation Council's collective security mechanisms
  • D. The extension of NATO's Article 5 guarantee to non-member states through Turkiye's membership

Q7. In the context of the September 2025 air strike on Doha, the Israeli Prime Minister's description of it as 'a wholly independent Israeli operation' is best understood to mean which one of the following?

  • A. That Israel alone planned and executed it, without the participation or prior approval of any other state
  • B. That it was executed by Israel's external intelligence service acting without the involvement of the regular armed forces
  • C. That it was authorised by the Prime Minister alone, bypassing the security cabinet's collective clearance procedure
  • D. That it lay outside the rules of engagement then governing Israel's ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip

Q8. The warning that the September 2025 Israeli strikes in Qatar risked opening a 'new and perilous chapter' was delivered in a briefing to which one of the following bodies?

  • A. The United Nations Security Council, by a Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Secretariat
  • B. The United Nations General Assembly, in an emergency special session convened by the Secretary-General
  • C. The United Nations Human Rights Council at Geneva, by the High Commissioner for Human Rights
  • D. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's Council of Foreign Ministers, by its Secretary-General at Jeddah

Q9. With reference to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which one of the following correctly states Pakistan's position under that Treaty?

  • A. Pakistan has never been a party to the Treaty and acquired nuclear warheads outside its framework
  • B. Pakistan acceded to the Treaty as a non-nuclear-weapon State and subsequently announced its withdrawal, as the DPRK did in 2003
  • C. Pakistan is recognised under the Treaty as a nuclear-weapon State, and is therefore permanently exempt from all safeguards obligations
  • D. Pakistan, like every other State of South Asia, is a party to the Treaty, its entire nuclear programme being under full-scope safeguards

Q10. India condemned the September 2025 air strike on the Qatari capital as a violation of Qatar's sovereignty. In that strike, apart from a member of the Qatari security forces, how many members of the negotiating team present at the targeted compound were killed?

  • A. Three
  • B. Five
  • C. Eight
  • D. Nine

Q11. Consider the following statements comparing the three signatory states of the 2026 trilateral joint defence agreement: 1. The capital of Turkiye is Ankara, whereas that of Pakistan is Islamabad. 2. Saudi Arabia and Qatar each use a monetary unit called the riyal, whereas the currency of Turkiye is the lira. 3. Pakistan's monetary unit bears the same name as India's, while Saudi Arabia's capital, Jeddah, is also the seat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The capital of Turkiye is Ankara, whereas that of Pakistan is Islamabad.
  2. Saudi Arabia and Qatar each use a monetary unit called the riyal, whereas the currency of Turkiye is the lira.
  3. Pakistan's monetary unit bears the same name as India's, while Saudi Arabia's capital, Jeddah, is also the seat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3