Iran has conducted cloud-seeding operations over the Urmia lake basin to combat its worst drought in decades, with further efforts planned in East and West Azerbaijan.

Urmia, the country’s largest lake, has largely dried up, and rainfall nationwide is at record lows, leaving reservoirs nearly empty.

Cloud-seeding involves injecting chemicals like silver or potassium iodide into clouds to encourage condensation and rainfall.

Authorities warned of possible water rationing in Tehran and announced penalties for excessive water use, while some rainfall and snowfall were reported in the west and northwest over the weekend, the BBC has reported.

Officials described this autumn as the driest in 50 years, with dams in several provinces at dangerously low levels.