How is the Iran war fuelling false claims about “cloud stealing”? #Iraq #Iran #US #BBCNews
An Iraqi MP claimed US aircraft were stealing clouds to cause drought in the Middle East, a claim debunked by Iraq's own meteorological authority. While cloud seeding is a real weather modification technique, it cannot create clouds from nothing or move them across borders. Climate change, not cloud theft, is the real driver of worsening weather extremes in the region.
Summary
The video addresses a viral misinformation claim made by an Iraqi MP who alleged that US aircraft were deliberately stealing clouds from the Middle East to cause drought. Iraq's own meteorological authority dismissed the claim as neither scientific nor logical.
The claim emerged against a backdrop of genuine drought conditions affecting several Middle Eastern countries, including Iraq, Turkey, and Iran. When rain eventually fell in the region, some social media users claimed without evidence that the US had stopped deploying weather weapons — further spreading the conspiracy theory.
The video contextualizes these claims within a longer history of conspiracy theories around weather modification. Cloud seeding, a legitimate scientific technique, has long fueled such theories. Cloud seeding works by manipulating existing clouds to increase precipitation by up to 15%, but it cannot create clouds from scratch, nor can it move clouds across national borders — directly contradicting the MP's claims.
The video concludes by pointing to climate change as the actual cause of worsening weather in the Middle East. Temperatures in the region are rising twice as fast as the global average, heat waves are growing longer and more intense, and while overall rainfall is decreasing, precipitation increasingly arrives in short, intense bursts. The segment firmly concludes that no one is stealing clouds.
Key Insights
- An Iraqi MP claimed US aircraft were stealing clouds in the Middle East to deliberately cause drought, a claim Iraq's own meteorological authority described as neither scientific nor logical.
- When rain returned to the region after a drought period, some social media users claimed without evidence that the US had stopped using weather weapons, framing natural rainfall as proof of prior interference.
- Cloud seeding, a real weather modification technique, can increase precipitation from existing clouds by up to 15%, but scientists confirm it cannot create clouds from nothing or move them across borders.
- Temperatures in the Middle East are rising twice as fast as the global average due to climate change, making heat waves longer and more intense while reducing overall rainfall frequency.
- While overall rainfall in the Middle East is decreasing, climate change is causing precipitation to arrive in short, intense bursts rather than being distributed evenly — a pattern distinct from any alleged weather manipulation.
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] Can you steal another country's clouds? One Iraqi MP does seem to think so. He claims US aircraft have been stealing clouds in the Middle East to deliberately cause drought. But even Iraq's own meteorological authority says this is neither scientific nor logical. Several Middle Eastern countries have been struggling with droughts. Places [0:31] like Iraq, Turkey, or Iran. So, when it started raining in recent weeks, a theory began spreading on social media. Some claimed without evidence the US had stopped using weather weapons against the region. But Basless claims that some countries have been weaponizing the weather aren't new. In fact, weather modification techniques like cloud seeding have been fueling conspiracy theories for years. Cloud seeding involves…
Full transcript available for MurmurCast members
Sign Up to AccessMore from BBC News
'One if not the largest strikes by Russia on Kyiv since war began'. #Ukraine #Russia #BBCNews
Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults on Kyiv since the start of the war, involving hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles. While most were intercepted, several struck civilian areas including a metro station, shopping center, and residential block. The attack signals that President Putin remains committed to continuing the war.
At least 82 killed in Chinese coal mine explosion. #China #BBCNews
A gas explosion at the Liucheng New Mine in Shanxi, China killed at least 82 workers and hospitalized over 100, making it the worst mining accident in the country in over a decade. Rescue robots are being deployed to reach potentially trapped survivors in toxic tunnels. The incident raises questions about mine safety despite years of stricter regulations.
DR Congo reports more than 200 Ebola deaths | BBC News
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed 204 people across three provinces with 867 suspected cases, marking the worst African outbreak in a decade. The Africa CDC has warned 10 countries are at risk, prompting regional surveillance efforts. Response efforts are severely hampered by the M23 rebel conflict in eastern Congo, which has restricted access to affected territories.
Spirit Airlines shutting down after rescue talks collapse | BBC News
Spirit Airlines has ceased operations after failing to secure government bailout funding, becoming the first major US airline casualty in 25 years. The collapse is largely attributed to the Iran war, which has caused jet fuel prices to nearly double, creating unsustainable cost pressures. Aviation consultant Paul Charles warns that other smaller carriers may face similar fates in the coming days.
Is this the true face of Anne Boleyn? | BBC News
A BBC News segment investigates whether facial recognition technology can identify a true portrait of Anne Boleyn, wife of Henry VIII. A University of Bradford team applied facial recognition to historical sketches, proposing that the traditionally accepted portrait may actually depict her mother. Art historians remain deeply skeptical of the methodology.