“I am suspicious about the drought in the southern part of the country,” said the head of Iran’s cultural heritage and tourism organization, Hassan Mousavi.

In 2011, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the West is “using special equipment” to “prevent rain clouds from reaching regional countries, including Iran.”

Iran is experiencing its worst drought since 1964. It has affected more than 37 million people, over half the population, and reduced wheat production and other agricultural output. Intense sandstorms have also plagued the country and increased desertification.

The Pentagon has admitted utilizing weather warfare against adversaries. In 2005, the Air Force said it has the ability to “generate precipitation, fog, and storms on earth or to modify space weather” and that “the production of artificial weather all are a part of an integrated set of technologies.”