Oil Nationalization Day is a public holiday in Iran, and it is observed on March 20 each year. The holiday commemorates the day when the oil industry was nationalized by the Iranian parliament in 1951.
The oil was first found in Iran in 1908. In 1909, the London-based Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) was established, and it was changed to Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) after. Foreign companies controlled Iran's oil industry at that time, and the British government gained a significant amount of benefits by holding a majority of the AIOC's shares.
During World War II, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States all wanted to control the Iranian oil industry. To protect the rights of the oil industry, the National Front of Iran was founded in 1949 by Mohammad Mosaddegh, who led the movement and nationalized the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in March 1951.
The following is the list of Oil Nationalization Day in Iran from 2022 to 2026.
| Holiday | Date | Weekday |
|---|---|---|
| Oil Nationalization Day | Mar 20, 2022 | Sunday |
| Oil Nationalization Day | Mar 19, 2023 | Sunday |
| Oil Nationalization Day | Mar 19, 2024 | Tuesday |
| Oil Nationalization Day | Mar 19, 2025 | Wednesday |
| Oil Nationalization Day | Mar 20, 2026 | Friday |
Please check more public holidays in Iran:
