Which of the following is not a member of ‘Gulf Cooperation Council’?

The correct answer is A) Iran. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was formed in 1981 at Abu Dhabi and has six Arab monarchies as members: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Iran sits on the opposite shore of the Persian Gulf and is not a member.

• Saudi Arabia (B), Oman (C), Kuwait (D): all three are founding or original members of the GCC. Each is a correct member, so each is wrong as an answer to a 'not a member' question.
• Iran (A): not a member. The GCC was set up partly as a counterweight to Iranian influence after the 1979 revolution, which is why the two sides have been rivals on Gulf security and Yemen.

The core concept is regional groupings in West Asia. For Mains GS-II, link this to India's energy security, the Indian diaspora in the GCC states, and the Chabahar and Iran-related policy debates.

Trap: aspirants often remember Iran as a 'Gulf country' and assume it belongs to the GCC. Geography of the Gulf and membership of the GCC are different questions.