Iranian General Gholam Reza Jalili said Isreal is responsible for Iran's climate change

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Speaking at a conference on agriculture in the Iranian capital of Tehran, Brigadier General Gholam Reza Jalili said a number of Iranian scientific centres have confirmed such foreign role in the adverse climate condition in Iran. He said: “Foreign interference is suspected to have played a role in climate change. “Joint teams from Israel and one of the neighbouring countries make the clouds entering into Iran barren. “Moreover, we are faced with the cases of cloud theft and snow theft.”

Pointing to scientific evidence corroborating his argument, Mr Jalali cited a survey carried out over the past four years about the climate of high altitudes stretching from Afghanistan to the Mediterranean Sea. He claimed that above 7200 feet all mountainous areas are covered in snow, except Iran. However, the head of Iran's meteorological service Ahad Vazife immediately dismissed Mr Jalili's comments. He said that the General "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".

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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" This is not the first time that an Irani official has accused other countries of an atmospheric precipitation theft. In 2011, former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed Western countries were involved in plans to "cause drought" in Iran.

An aerial view shows clouds moving through the snow-covered peaks of the Alborz mountains in Iran