Israel commits “weather theft” by cunningly manipulating clouds to prevent rain falling over Iran, an Iranian general has alleged.

Brigadier General Gholam Reza Jalali, head of Iran’s Civil Defence Organisation, said that the changing climate and drought in Iran is “suspect” and a coalescence of malign, anti-Iran forces are to blame, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.

“Foreign interference is suspected to have played a role in climate change,” General Jalali insisted, adding that an Iranian scientific study “confirms” the claim.

“Israel and another country in the region have joint teams which work to ensure clouds entering Iranian skies are unable to release rain,” he said.

General Jalali cited a survey carried out over the past four years covering the climate of high altitudes stretching from Afghanistan to the Mediterranean Sea.

He said that above 7200 feet all mountainous areas are covered in snow, except Iran.

The head of Iran’s meteorological service Ahad Vazife struck a more sceptical note, 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.”

“Iran has suffered a prolonged drought, and this is a global trend that does not apply only to Iran,” Vazife reportedly said.

This is not the first time outside forces have been accused of seeking to affect the weather in the Islamic republic.

Former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2011 accused Western countries of devising plans to “cause drought” in Iran.

He claimed “European countries used special equipment to force clouds to dump” their water on their continent.

“Western countries have designed plans to cause drought in certain areas of the world, including Iran,” Mr Ahmadinejad said.

“According to reports on climate, whose accuracy has been verified, European countries are using special equipment to force clouds to dump” their water on their continent, he said.

By doing so, “they prevent rain clouds from reaching regional countries, including Iran,” Mr Ahmadinejad charged.