What was the major factor in spurring on Iran's development of

nuclear weapons in the 1980s?

The main factor behind Iran's nuclear plan in the 1980s was the triumph of the Iranian Revolution in 1979. In this historical process, through which revolutionary forces of Islamic and socialist ideology overthrew Sha Rehza Pahlevi, the triumph of the Revolution commanded by Ayatollah Khomeini imposed the establishment of an authoritarian Islamic republic, against the previous existence of a westernized monarchy. Seeing the United States and western countries as its main enemies, the new Islamic Republic of Iran began to carry out a series of actions aimed at directly confronting these countries. Thus, it carried out the taking of American hostages that led to the famous Iranian Hostage Crisis, as well as a never-before-seen militarization of the nation, with the aim of "protecting Iran from the Western threat". In this context, faced with the nuclear threat posed by the United States and to a lesser extent France and Great Britain, Iran began its nuclear weapons development plan in the 1980s.