UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — For Iran, Hormuz is the key to deterrence and dominance in Persian Gulf
Q1. The shipping lanes through which tankers transit the Strait of Hormuz are organised under a Traffic Separation Scheme. Which one of the following bodies adopted and oversees this Traffic Separation Scheme?
- A. International Hydrographic Organization
- B. International Maritime Organization
- C. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
- D. International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
Q2. Consider the following statements comparing the Strait of Hormuz with other maritime chokepoints:
1. The Strait of Hormuz separates Iran in the north from Oman's Musandam exclave, and is the only sea channel linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
2. Unlike the Strait of Malacca, which has geographically proximate alternative routes, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz cannot be rerouted.
3. The tanker shipping lanes used in the Strait of Hormuz lie wholly within Iranian territorial waters.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Strait of Hormuz separates Iran in the north from Oman's Musandam exclave, and is the only sea channel linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
- Unlike the Strait of Malacca, which has geographically proximate alternative routes, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz cannot be rerouted.
- The tanker shipping lanes used in the Strait of Hormuz lie wholly within Iranian territorial waters.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q3. Under the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the United States and Iran on 17 June 2026, a 60-day negotiating timeline was set for reaching an agreement on which one of the following as the principal unresolved issue?
- A. Iran's nuclear programme
- B. Permanent demilitarisation of the Strait of Hormuz
- C. Iran's ballistic missile arsenal
- D. The final status of Iranian-backed forces in Lebanon
Q4. Consider the following statements regarding the US–Iran Memorandum of Understanding of June 2026:
1. It was a 14-point interim instrument signed on 17 June 2026 by the Presidents of the United States and Iran.
2. It required Iran to facilitate the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz for an initial period of sixty days, alongside de-mining measures.
3. Unlike the earlier ceasefire arrangement of 2026, the Memorandum permanently transferred management of the Strait's shipping lanes to a United States-led naval command.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- It was a 14-point interim instrument signed on 17 June 2026 by the Presidents of the United States and Iran.
- It required Iran to facilitate the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz for an initial period of sixty days, alongside de-mining measures.
- Unlike the earlier ceasefire arrangement of 2026, the Memorandum permanently transferred management of the Strait's shipping lanes to a United States-led naval command.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q5. Iran's capacity to threaten the Strait of Hormuz rests substantially on its possession of one of the world's largest stockpiles of which one of the following?
- A. Nuclear-powered attack submarines
- B. Naval mines
- C. Aircraft carriers
- D. Guided-missile destroyers
Q6. With reference to Iran's asymmetric naval strategy in the Strait of Hormuz, consider the following:
1. Employment of swarm tactics using fleets of fast attack craft approaching from multiple directions.
2. Rapid deployment of naval mines from speedboats, patrol vessels and logistics craft.
3. Assessments by United States officials that Iran could disrupt shipping in the strait for up to six months.
4. A declaration by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 2019 that the strait stood closed to all vessels.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- Employment of swarm tactics using fleets of fast attack craft approaching from multiple directions.
- Rapid deployment of naval mines from speedboats, patrol vessels and logistics craft.
- Assessments by United States officials that Iran could disrupt shipping in the strait for up to six months.
- A declaration by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 2019 that the strait stood closed to all vessels.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3
- D. 1, 3 and 4
Q7. With reference to India's crude oil supply chain and strategic petroleum reserves, consider the following:
1. Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle of the Government of India, operates underground reserve facilities at Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru and Padur.
2. The established strategic petroleum reserve capacity across these facilities is about 5.33 million metric tonnes.
3. India meets nearly 88 per cent of its crude oil requirement through imports.
4. Russian crude bound for India is loaded in Suezmax vessels at Novorossiysk and reaches Indian ports through the Strait of Hormuz.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle of the Government of India, operates underground reserve facilities at Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru and Padur.
- The established strategic petroleum reserve capacity across these facilities is about 5.33 million metric tonnes.
- India meets nearly 88 per cent of its crude oil requirement through imports.
- Russian crude bound for India is loaded in Suezmax vessels at Novorossiysk and reaches Indian ports through the Strait of Hormuz.
- A. 1 and 4 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3
- D. 1, 2 and 4
Q8. Which one of the following correctly states the Government of India's position, articulated during the 2026 West Asia crisis, on the routing of India's crude oil imports?
- A. About 70 per cent of crude imports now arrive by routes outside the Strait of Hormuz, up from about 55 per cent earlier
- B. The entire crude import basket has been shifted away from the Strait of Hormuz
- C. India's crude imports are sourced exclusively from Persian Gulf producers shipping through the Strait of Hormuz
- D. About 30 per cent of crude imports arrive by routes outside the Strait of Hormuz, unchanged from earlier levels
Q9. Consider the following statements regarding the escalation around the Strait of Hormuz in July 2026:
1. Vessels using the southern route along Oman's coast were attacked, including a laden liquefied natural gas carrier struck by a projectile near the Omani coast.
2. The United States military responded by striking around 140 targets in Iran, including missile and drone launch sites, ammunition dumps and communication equipment.
3. Iran's retaliation was confined to Israeli territory and did not extend to countries hosting United States forces in the Gulf region.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Vessels using the southern route along Oman's coast were attacked, including a laden liquefied natural gas carrier struck by a projectile near the Omani coast.
- The United States military responded by striking around 140 targets in Iran, including missile and drone launch sites, ammunition dumps and communication equipment.
- Iran's retaliation was confined to Israeli territory and did not extend to countries hosting United States forces in the Gulf region.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q10. During the July 2026 escalation, Iran launched retaliatory strikes against countries hosting United States military personnel and assets. Consider the following countries:
1. Bahrain
2. Qatar
3. Jordan
4. Egypt
Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as a target of these Iranian retaliatory strikes?
- Bahrain
- Qatar
- Jordan
- Egypt
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 only
- C. 3 and 4
- D. 4 only
Q11. Consider the following statements about the 'Tanker War' of the 1980s and its relationship with the present crisis in the Strait of Hormuz:
1. During the Tanker War of 1984–88, Iran attacked tankers sailing to and from Kuwait and other Gulf Arab states that had backed Iraq.
2. In 1987 the United States reflagged eleven Kuwaiti tankers and escorted them through the Strait of Hormuz under Operation Earnest Will, the largest naval convoy operation since the Second World War.
3. Unlike the 2026 crisis, the Strait of Hormuz was formally declared closed to all shipping during the Tanker War.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- During the Tanker War of 1984–88, Iran attacked tankers sailing to and from Kuwait and other Gulf Arab states that had backed Iraq.
- In 1987 the United States reflagged eleven Kuwaiti tankers and escorted them through the Strait of Hormuz under Operation Earnest Will, the largest naval convoy operation since the Second World War.
- Unlike the 2026 crisis, the Strait of Hormuz was formally declared closed to all shipping during the Tanker War.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q12. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, ships of all States enjoy the right of transit passage through straits used for international navigation, which the bordering State may not suspend. Disputes concerning the interpretation or application of the Convention may be submitted to a standing judicial body established by it, seated at Hamburg. Which one of the following is that body?
- A. International Maritime Organization
- B. International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
- C. International Seabed Authority
- D. International Hydrographic Organization