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Iranian General accuses Israel of ‘cloud theft’, draws flak from country’s meteorological service

At a press conference, Brigadier General Gholam Reza Jalali, Iran’s Civil Defence Organisation’s head blamed Israel of ‘manipulating the weather’, reported AFP.

On Monday, he claimed Israel of guilty of ‘cloud theft’, saying, “The changing climate in Iran is suspect. Foreign interference is suspected to have played a role in climate change.” He said an Iranian scientific study authenticated his claims.

Quoting a survey that determined all mountainous areas above 2,200 metres between Afghanistan and the Mediterranean were covered in snow, except Iran, he said, “Israel and another country in the region have joint teams which work to ensure clouds entering Iranian skies are unable to release rain.”

However, the meteorological service’s head, Ahad Vazife contradicted the general’s claims, saying, “General 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.”

He added, “Iran has suffered a prolonged drought, and this is a global trend that does not apply only to Iran. Raising such questions not only does not solve any of our problems, but will deter us from finding the right solutions.”

Former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2011 had accused Western countries of concocting plans to cause draught in the country in similar lines.

“European countries used special equipment to force clouds to dump their water on their continent,” he was reported to have said.

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