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Published on: 04/29/2026 - 23:01

In recent days, viral publications seem to show Iran under snow... even though the country is very affected by droughts. Enough to fuel the rumor: according to Internet users, it would be the result of “climate war” operations from the United States. In reality, it is impossible for a country to remotely manipulate anyone's climate, even by hijacking the actual technique of cloud seeding.

Tehran under the snow in April, after several episodes of severe drought? For many Internet users, this sudden return of water to the country is not natural: it would be the result of an Iranian counter-offensive in a supposed “climate war” led by Washington and its allies.

The drought in Iran, caused by Washington?

Several publications claim that Tehran regained control of its climate by destroying American cloud-seeding facilities, based in the United Arab Emirates. The annihilation of a “secret center” for climate manipulation would have triggered an immediate drop in temperatures, and triggered heavy rain and snow, including in the capital.

The tweet likely refers to the UAE's "Rainfall Enhancement Research Program" (UAEREP), a not-so-secret scientific institution. Its mission is to study how to achieve water security around the world, not how to manipulate anyone's climate. Furthermore, there is no evidence of an attack on this site, and the center continues to communicate normally on its social networks.

Also read: Donald Trump urges Iran to act “quickly” to conclude an agreement

Snow in Tehran in April?

This climate disinformation is based in particular on a video showing a monument under the snow, and presented as being filmed in Tehran in the middle of April. But if the image is authentic, it actually shows the shrine of Imam Reza, located in Mashhad. A town nestled at an altitude of 1,000 meters which regularly experiences spring snow episodes.

So no snow in Tehran at the end of April. An episode of heavy rain and thunderstorms did occur in part of the country during this period, but it was predicted by the meteorological authorities. These extreme events are a continuation of human-caused global warming. In December 2025, severe floods had already hit Iran and caused several deaths.

Also read: Iran: drought has fueled popular anger

Cloud seeding, between science and fantasies

So can you really stop a neighboring country's rain with cloud seeding? No way. This technology, which has existed since the 1940s, consists of injecting particles to encourage the triggering of precipitation from existing clouds. But its effects are far from miraculous. It's impossible to create rain out of nothing, as experts confirm to our colleagues at Deutsche Welle.

In the best case, this technique increases precipitation by 5 to 20% over a very localized area. It is physically impossible, with current knowledge, to manipulate the climate on a country scale or to prevent clouds from crossing a border.

Clouds already “stolen” by Israel in 2018?

This is not the first time that Tehran has pointed the finger at “climate sabotage”. Already in 2018, an Iranian general accused Israel of "stealing the clouds" in the midst of a drought, before being contradicted by his own country's meteorological services.

Irony of history: while rumor accuses neighboring countries of using this technology against it, the Islamic Republic itself resorted to cloud seeding in November 2025 to try to alleviate its chronic drought. According to Iris, the country is in fact sliding towards a structural water shortage which could be more dangerous than any atomic or ballistic bomb.

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