US forces capture Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro
3 January 2026
On 3 January 2026 US forces carried out 'Operation Absolute Resolve' in Caracas and took Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, into custody; both face indictments in the Southern District of New York. President Trump said the US would oversee Venezuela until a transition. Russia, China and many Latin American States condemned it as a breach of sovereignty, and the UN Secretary-General called it a dangerous precedent. Commentators linked it to a revival of the Monroe Doctrine.
Background. Article 2(4) of the UN Charter prohibits the threat or use of force against another State's territorial integrity or political independence; Article 51 preserves self-defence against an armed attack. The Monroe Doctrine (1823) declared the Americas closed to European interference. Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves.
Why CLAT asks: Use of force, sovereignty and head-of-state immunity make a ready-made international-law passage.
Sources: USNI News: Maduro, wife captured by American forces (3 January 2026); The Aviationist: Operation Absolute Resolve, Venezuela
War with Iran: Khamenei killed, Mojtaba Khamenei succeeds
9 March 2026
On 28 February 2026 the United States and Israel launched large-scale strikes on Iran. Iran confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had held the post since 1989, was killed in an attack on his compound. Iran retaliated with missile strikes and closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a large share of the world's oil passes. On 9 March the Assembly of Experts named his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as Iran's third Supreme Leader.
Background. Iran's Supreme Leader is chosen by the Assembly of Experts, an elected body of clerics. Ruhollah Khomeini held the office from 1979 to 1989. The Strait of Hormuz lies between Iran and Oman's Musandam peninsula and links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. India imports much of its crude oil and LPG through it.
Why CLAT asks: Why Hormuz matters to India's energy security is a likely question, as are the basics of Iran's constitutional order.
Sources: Al Jazeera live blog: Israel launches attacks on Iran (28 February 2026); The Jakarta Post: Iran leader Khamenei killed in massive US and Israeli attack (1 March 2026); Hespress: Iran's Assembly of Experts announces Mojtaba Khamenei as new supreme leader
The Islamabad memorandum: a ceasefire and a reopened Strait, briefly
17 June 2026
On 17 June 2026 Iran confirmed that it and the United States had signed, electronically, a 14-point memorandum of understanding mediated by Pakistan. It extended the ceasefire, reopened the Strait of Hormuz to toll-free transit and gave the two sides up to 60 days to negotiate a final agreement, with the nuclear question left to a second phase. By mid-July it had frayed: President Trump called the ceasefire over, and control of the Strait was again disputed.
Background. A memorandum of understanding records intentions; whether it is a binding treaty depends on the parties' intent and terms, under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969).
Why CLAT asks: Is an MoU a treaty? A good question for international-law reasoning.
Sources: Al Jazeera: Iran confirms that MoU has been signed electronically by both sides (17 June 2026); Al-Monitor (Reuters): Why has the Iran-US ceasefire memorandum frayed? (July 2026)
Trump's 'Board of Peace' for Gaza
January 2026
Under the US 20-point plan for Gaza, a 'Board of Peace' chaired by President Trump was set up in January 2026 to oversee Gaza's reconstruction and transitional governance. Its draft charter gave the chair control over membership; most members would serve three years, while a $1 billion contribution would buy a permanent seat. Its executive group included Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Tony Blair and World Bank President Ajay Banga. India was among the countries invited.
Background. The Gaza ceasefire of October 2025 followed the war that began with Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. India supports a two-State solution.
Why CLAT asks: Know India's stated position (two States) and that the Board sits outside the UN system.
Sources: ABC News (AP): $1 billion gets a permanent seat on Trump's Board of Peace for Gaza, as India and others invited; The Wire: Trump invites India to join Gaza Board of Peace
New START expires: no limits on US and Russian nuclear arsenals
5 February 2026
The New START treaty between the United States and Russia expired on 5 February 2026 without a replacement. Russia had suspended its participation in 2023 but said it kept to the numerical limits, and proposed in 2025 to keep observing them for a year; Washington did not formally reply. The UN Secretary-General said it was the first time in over half a century that the two largest nuclear arsenals had no binding limits.
Background. New START was signed in Prague in 2010, came into force in 2011 and was extended in 2021 for five years. It capped each side at 1,550 deployed strategic warheads. The INF Treaty on intermediate-range missiles ended in 2019.
Why CLAT asks: Arms-control treaties and their years (NPT 1968, INF 1987, New START 2010) are frequently tested.
Sources: French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs: Expiry of the New START Treaty (6 February 2026); All India Radio News: US and Russia exit New START treaty (5 February 2026)
The US leaves 66 international bodies, including the International Solar Alliance
7 January 2026
On 7 January 2026 President Trump signed a memorandum directing the US to withdraw from 66 international organisations, 35 outside the UN system and 31 UN-linked entities, including the International Solar Alliance and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Secretary of State Rubio cited 'climate orthodoxy'. The US had joined the ISA in 2021 and contributed about $2.1 million between 2022 and 2025, a small share of its funding.
Background. The International Solar Alliance was launched by India and France at COP21 in Paris in 2015 and is headquartered in Gurugram, India. It was the first treaty-based international organisation headquartered in India.
Why CLAT asks: The ISA's founders and headquarters are a near-certain GK question.
Sources: All India Radio News: US withdraws from over 60 global organizations including International Solar Alliance (8 January 2026); Scroll: US to withdraw from 66 international organisations
