Iran began cloud-seeding operations in an attempt to induce rainfall to alleviate a devastating drought.
The state news agency IRNA said a seeding flight took off on Saturday; the practice involves spraying particles, such as salt or silver iodide, into clouds to trigger rain. The country’s meteorological service said rain is 89% below the long-term average this year, and this is the driest autumn in half a century. No rain has fallen in half of the country’s provinces in months, water levels in many reservoirs are at record lows, and ski resorts only just saw their first snowfall of 2025. President Masoud Pezeshkian said recently that if the drought continues, Tehran may have to be evacuated.