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1 Jul 2026INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS3 questions

PM Modi Speaks to Iran President, Emphasises Freedom of Navigation

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Article summary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, stressing the need for lasting peace and stability in West Asia and the safeguarding of freedom of navigation and commerce in the region. The call comes amid heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea corridor, through which approximately 20–30% of global oil trade transits, making regional stability a direct economic security concern for India. India's engagement with Iran is anchored in the Chabahar Port Agreement — a 10-year deal signed in May 2024 — which provides India a strategic land-sea route to Afghanistan and Central Asia bypassing Pakistan. Freedom of navigation is not merely a diplomatic phrase; it is enshrined in UNCLOS (1982), to which India is a signatory, and forms the legal backbone of India's maritime security doctrine. For UPSC aspirants, this event sits at the intersection of India's West Asia policy, energy security, UNCLOS-based maritime law, and the geopolitics of connectivity corridors.

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recallTests whether you read the article and retained key facts.
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applicationTests whether you can apply the concept to a new scenario.
1Q
analysisTests whether you can reason across multiple related facts.
1Q

Sample questions — answers revealed after test

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSRecallEasy

Q1. With reference to the Chabahar Port agreement and the International North-South Transport Corridor, which one of the following statements is correct?

AThe INSTC connects Mumbai to Moscow via the Suez Canal, reducing transit time to about 25 days.
BIndia Ports Global Ltd signed a ten-year contract in May 2024 with Iran's Port and Maritime Organisation to operate the Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar, an arrangement strategically exempted from US sanctions.
CChabahar is located on Iran's Caspian coast, which is what makes it the natural gateway to the INSTC.
DIndia, Pakistan and Russia were the founding members of the INSTC in 2000.
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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSApplicationMedium

Q2. India consistently emphasises freedom of navigation in its engagement with West Asia. Which one of the following best explains why this is a settled Indian position rather than a situational one?

AIndia is a consumer state dependent on sea lanes it does not control, so unimpeded transit through international waterways is a permanent interest that does not shift with the identity of the state threatening it.
BIndia is legally obliged to assert the position by virtue of having ratified UNCLOS in 1995.
CThe position is adopted to align India with Western policy on Iran, and would change if that policy changed.
DIndia's naval strength allows it to enforce freedom of navigation unilaterally, which is why it advocates the principle.
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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSAnalysisHard

Q3. Consider the following statements regarding the law of the sea and the Strait of Hormuz: 1. Article 87 of UNCLOS guarantees the freedoms of the high seas, including navigation, overflight, fishing and the laying of submarine pipelines. 2. Part III of UNCLOS governs straits used for international navigation, and the Strait of Hormuz lies between Iran and Oman, being about 33 km wide at its narrowest. 3. India signed but has not ratified UNCLOS, which limits its standing to invoke the Convention's navigational provisions. Which of the statements given above are correct?

A1 only
B1 and 2 only
C2 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3
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