Mossadeq rallied many Iranians to his cause by arguing that Iran could not modernize, nor democratize, as long as it was ruled by a powerful monarchy and policed by a royalist army, and as long as its principal source of wealth—oil—was controlled by foreigners. Just a few weeks after taking office, Mossadeq won approval from Parliament for the nationalization of the oil industry. His actions pleased Iranians but deeply worried American officials. According to the CIA, “the policy of the National Front at this time plays directly into Soviet hands.”
