In March 1951, Iran's Majlis (parliament) enacted a pivotal law that nationalized the country's oil industry, a move led by Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. This decision came as a response to the growing nationalist fervor within Iran, fueled by years of perceived economic exploitation by foreign powers, primarily the British. The Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), founded as the Anglo-Persian Oil Company in 1909, had maintained a dominant position in Iran’s oil sector. The company had extracted oil from Iranian fields while providing minimal economic benefits to the Iranian people. Mossadegh, advocating for self-determination and control of resources, rallied public support for the nationalization.The nationalization law transferred all assets, rights, and interests of the AIOC to the Iranian government, making Iran one of the first countries to achieve such a significant change in ownership of its natural resources. The move, however, faced immediate backlash from the British government, which sought to undermine Mossadegh’s authority. Britain implemented an oil embargo against Iran and attempted to incite international opposition to the nationalization, seeing it as a direct threat to their long-established colonial interests. The international tensions heightened as the United States became involved, viewing the situation through the lens of Cold War dynamics and fearing the spread of communism in the region.Events surrounding the nationalization escalated into a broader political crisis, eventually leading to the CIA-backed coup in 1953 that ousted Mossadegh. However, the nationalization incident remains a cornerstone in Iran's history, symbolizing the struggle for national sovereignty and control over its resources. This act of defiance against foreign influence galvanized nationalist sentiments and set the stage for future confrontations between Iran and Western nations.