Iran’s Push for Artificial Rain Ends in Flooding and a National Debate
As Iran struggles with one of its most severe droughts in decades, the government has attempted two dramatically different approaches to bring back the rain. Last Friday, religious leaders appealed to divine intervention during sermons, urging citizens to join in prayer for rainfall. By Sunday, authorities turned to science instead, sending small aircraft over Lake Urmia to release silver iodide particles, hoping to trigger artificial rain.
But by Monday morning, several western provinces—from Ilam to Kurdistan—were suddenly hit by heavy floods. The downpour on hardened, drought-stricken soil created fast-moving streams and localized damage, igniting a national conversation: was the rain a result of cloud seeding or just a natural storm system?
Meteorologists say the answer is simple—neither method caused the flood. A natural cloud system was already moving across the region.
Prayers, Science, and an Unpredictable Sky
The ritual salat al-istisqa’, or “prayer for rain,” traces its roots back to the Prophet Muhammad and remains common in Middle Eastern desert regions. Tradition holds that only the Prophet successfully summoned real rain.
Meanwhile, cloud seeding—also known as inseminazione delle nuvole—has limited scientific effectiveness. It can slightly enhance precipitation, but not across the hundreds of kilometers between Lake Urmia in the northwest and the provinces that flooded near the Iraqi border.
What Cloud Seeding Can—and Cannot—Do
Cloud seeding works by dispersing silver iodide particles into the atmosphere, encouraging water vapor to condense around them. When droplets grow heavy enough, they fall as rain.
But experts warn that the technique has strict limits.
“Cloud seeding can squeeze out a bit of water if there’s already moisture in the air, but it’s nowhere near powerful enough to cause a flood,”
explains Daniele Visioni, atmospheric physics professor at Cornell University.
This means Iran’s flooding was likely inevitable, whether or not the planes flew.
Tehran Faces the Threat of Evacuation
Despite the heavy rains, Iran’s drought emergency remains unchanged. This year, rainfall across the country has dropped by 89%, making the current autumn the driest in half a century.
Tehran’s five main water basins are 43% lower than last year. Some neighborhoods experience hours-long dry taps, while in Mashhad water pressure has become so weak that many households rely on storage tanks.
Last week, President Masud Pezeshkian issued a stark warning: if substantial rainfall doesn’t come soon, Tehran may face partial evacuation. With 9 million residents and widespread drought across the country, relocation would be extraordinarily difficult.
Climate change shares part of the blame, but Iran’s overuse of groundwater through illegal wells has worsened the crisis.
The Lake Urmia Emergency
Lake Urmia—once the largest saltwater lake in the Middle East—was chosen for cloud seeding in hopes of reviving its shrinking basin. The lake’s ongoing retreat has created vast salt plains, which strong winds now blow into nearby towns.
But as Visioni notes:
“You can’t create rain out of nothing. Cloud seeding only works if water vapor is already present.”
Tehran’s bone-dry atmosphere made it pointless to attempt the experiment there.
Flood Myths and the Global History of Artificial Rain
Iran isn’t the only country experimenting with weather modification:
- Dubai (2023): streets turned into rivers after the heaviest rainfall in 50 years; cloud seeding was blamed but experts said natural conditions were already extreme.
- India: tried cloud seeding in November to clear New Delhi’s pollution.
- China (2008): used weather modification to keep the Olympics opening ceremony dry.
Visioni estimates cloud seeding boosts rainfall by 10%–20%, but only by redirecting water that would fall elsewhere—not creating new water. For snow, effectiveness rises to 40%–50%, which is why U.S. ski resorts often use it.
A Nation Still Thirsty, Despite the Storms
Iran’s brief floods may have sparked headlines, but they did nothing to solve the country’s deepening water crisis. With climate pressures intensifying and reservoirs running low, both natural and artificial solutions continue to fall short.
The debate over cloud seeding and religious prayer reflects a broader truth: Iran is searching desperately for answers in a climate that is growing drier, hotter, and far more unpredictable.
About The Author
