Iran is spraying silver into clouds from aircraft in an effort to overcome the most severe drought in the country in the past 50 years.

The Iranian authorities have launched a large-scale operation to induce precipitation by spraying chemical substances onto clouds over the Lake Urmia basin, in order to fight the strongest drought that has hit the country in decades.

Iran’s largest lake, Urmia, has almost completely dried up, leaving behind a massive layer of salt.

Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian warned last week that if sufficient rainfall does not occur in the country in the near future, Tehran’s water supply may be restricted and residents of the capital may even be evacuated.

According to Iran Meteorological Organization, rainfall this year has decreased by 89% compared with the long-term average. “We are currently experiencing the driest autumn in the past 50 years,” the agency noted.

Also, Iranian officials have announced plans to penalize households and businesses that use excessive amounts of water.

Last Friday, hundreds of people gathered near a mosque in Tehran to pray for rain. On Saturday, Iranian meteorologists recorded the first rainfall in the west and northwest of the country, and the first snow of the year fell at a ski resort north of Tehran.

According to official data, the amount of precipitation in Iran in 2024 had totaled only 140 mm, while the norm is 260 mm.