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PortugueseJalali claimed Israel and “another country in the region” maintain joint teams “to ensure clouds entering Iranian skies are unable to release rain.”
By: United with Israel Staff
A senior Iranian general accused Israel of stealing its clouds to manipulate weather in the Islamic Republic and cause drought there.
Brigadier General Gholam Reza Jalali, head of Iran’s Civil Defense Organization said that the changing climate in Iran is “suspect,” AFP reported Monday.
“Foreign interference is suspected to have played a role in climate change,” said Jalali, who maintained that results from an Iranian scientific study “confirm” the claim.
He claimed Israel and “another country in the region” maintain joint teams “to ensure clouds entering Iranian skies are unable to release rain.”
“On top of that, we are facing the issue of cloud and snow theft,” he insisted.
Jalali cited a survey showing that all mountainous regions above 7,200 feet in areas between Afghanistan and the Mediterranean are covered in snow, except Iran.
Stealing Snow or Clouds: Impossible
The head of Iran’s meteorological service dismissed the general’s assertions. Specifically, Ahad Vazife said that Jalali “probably has documents of which I am not aware, but on the basis of meteorological knowledge, it is not possible for a country to steal snow or clouds”.
“Iran has suffered a prolonged drought, and this is a global trend that does not apply only to Iran,” Vazife said. “Raising such questions not only does not solve any of our problems, but will deter us from finding the right solutions”.
According to Iran’s meteorological center, 96 percent of Iranians suffer from some degree of drought, while up to 50 million may be forced to leave their homes as a result of the environmental damage. The year 2018 was the driest in Iran in over 67 years. The constant decline in precipitation indicates that the drought will continue and even get worse.
Last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered to help save Iranian lives by sharing water technology with them, while Iran rejected the offer.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry launched a website in Farsi aimed at sharing Israeli water technologies directly with the Iranian people, which provides tips on how to save water and improve use – unique methods which have been refined by Israelis over the decades.
This is not the first time Iran has accused another country of stealing its rain.
Former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2011 accused Western countries of plotting to “cause drought” in Iran.
“European countries used special equipment to force clouds to dump” their water on their continent, he claimed
He also accused Western states of creating the HIV virus to weaken the developing world and create a market for pharmaceuticals.
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