Why did Mohammad Mosaddegh nationalize Iran’s oil industry in 1951?

Mohammad Mosaddegh nationalized Iran’s oil industry in 1951 primarily because he and his political coalition, the National Front, were driven by a strong sense of nationalism and were deeply angered by years of foreign exploitation of Iran’s natural resources.12

By that time, the United Kingdom effectively controlled Iranian oil through the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Mosaddegh, a career politician and lawyer, sought to regain sovereign control over these resources and reduce the influence of foreign powers in Iran. His push for nationalization became the cornerstone of his political platform, allowing him to build significant support within the Majles (parliament) and eventually leading to his appointment as prime minister.321

Ultimately, the nationalization act was an assertion of Iranian sovereignty, intended to end the British monopoly over the country's oil wealth. This move, however, triggered a severe economic and political crisis, leading to an international embargo and culminating in the 1953 coup orchestrated by the United States and the United Kingdom to remove him from power.123