Which industry did Mossadegh's nationalization policy target, triggering Western intervention in Iran?

• A. Steel industry
• B. Rail sector
• C. Telecom sector
• D. Oil industry

Answer: (D)

The key idea is sovereignty over a country's most valuable resource. In Iran, that resource was oil. Mossadegh moved to take the oil industry out of foreign hands by nationalizing the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in 1951, placing control and profits directly under Iranian authority.Oil revenue was central to the economy and foreign influence through oil concessions was a major lever for Western powers, so Britain—and later the United States—took action to protect their interests, culminating in intervention to roll back the nationalization. The other sectors—steel, rail, telecom—were not the focal point of this international push. The oil industry is why Western intervention occurred.