The cloud seeding effort is mainly taking place in the region around Lake Urmia in the northwest of the country. Urmia used to be Iran's largest lake, but it has nearly dried up and created large salt beds, the state news agency Irna reported on Sunday.
"A cloud seeding flight has been carried out at the Urmia Lake valley, for the first time during the current water year," reports Irna, referring to the fact that the so-called water year begins in September.
In addition, similar cloud seeding flights will be carried out in the East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan regions.
During the flights, silver iodide and salt are sprayed into existing clouds to induce rain. The idea is to increase condensation in the clouds. Iran has long been researching and developing the technology for domestic use.
At the same time, meteorological institutions in Iran report that precipitation has decreased by almost 90 percent this year compared to a measured average over a longer period.
"We are currently experiencing the driest autumn in the last 50 years," Irna reported, citing meteorological institutes. The capital Tehran has experienced the driest year this century, according to Irna. President Masoud Pezeshkian has previously warned that evacuations from Tehran may be required if the drought continues.
