Iran Expert Claims US & Israel Manipulate Weather to Cause Drought

An Iranian water resources expert has publicly accused the United States and Israel of deliberately manipulating weather patterns to divert rain clouds away from Iran, exacerbating the country's long-standing drought crisis. Mohsen Arbabian, a manager in Iran's Water and Power Resources Development Company, made the claims in a recent interview, citing satellite imagery as evidence of foreign interference over the past four decades.

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In the interview, broadcast yesterday, via the YouTube channel "Khate Energy," Arbabian stated: "Israel and the United States, who claim to have the capability [to cause a drought], and who have been hostile to us, have been doing this gradually for the past 40 years." He added, "I say this with confidence, because you can see in satellite images how the clouds shift from their course. I don't care how many people say that this is normal. I say it is not." Arbabian pointed to specific examples, such as clouds from the Mediterranean being redirected toward Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, resulting in Iran's Lake Urmia drying up while Turkey's Lake Van remains full.

The clip gained international attention after being translated and shared by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a Washington-based nonprofit that monitors regional media. It quickly spread on social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), where users correctly pointed out the conspiracy-like nature of the allegations.

Arbabian's remarks align with a recurring narrative from Iranian officials attributing the nation's severe water shortages to external sabotage rather than domestic factors. Iran has faced chronic drought for years, with over 80% of its land affected, leading to reduced agricultural output, urban water rationing, and social unrest. Similar accusations have been made in the past, including by former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2011, who claimed Western countries were destroying rain clouds to harm Iran. In 2018, Brigadier General Gholam Reza Jalali, head of Iran's Civil Defense Organization, specifically blamed Israel for "cloud theft" and weather alterations.

However, Iran's own Meteorological Organization has previously dismissed such claims as scientifically unfounded, stating in 2018 that it is impossible to steal or redirect clouds on a large scale. Experts attribute Iran's water woes primarily to climate change, inefficient water management, over-extraction for agriculture, and population growth, with up to 30% of water lost through outdated infrastructure. While technologies like cloud seeding exist to enhance local precipitation, they cannot alter weather patterns across borders to induce prolonged droughts.

Neither the U.S. nor Israeli governments have responded to Arbabian's specific allegations, but such claims often emerge amid heightened tensions between Iran and its adversaries. Iranian authorities have not provided the satellite images referenced or further "evidence" to support the assertions.

As Iran grapples with ongoing environmental challenges, including recent protests over water shortages, experts call for focus on sustainable policies rather than blaming ridiculous and impossible conspiracies.