Iranian authorities sprayed clouds with chemicals on Saturday to induce rain, in an attempt to combat the worst drought to hit the country in decades.
The operation was carried out over the Lake Urmia basin, according to the official Irna news agency. Urmia, Iran's largest lake, has partially dried up, leaving behind a large layer of salt.
Similar operations will take place in the East and West Azerbaijan provinces, in northwestern Iran.
The process, called cloud seeding, involves injecting salts such as silver iodide or potassium iodide into clouds by aircraft from the ground. This makes it easier for water vapor to condense and turn into rain.
The technique has been used for decades and has recently been applied by the United Arab Emirates. And if that's not enough, prayers for rain were held at a mosque in Tehran on Friday.
Rainfall is at historically low levels and dams are almost empty, the BBC reports. Last week, President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that if it does not rain soon, Tehran's water supply could be limited and residents could be forced to evacuate the capital.
Iran's meteorological service reported that rainfall fell about 89% below the long-term average this year. The country is experiencing its driest autumn in 50 years, with many dams below 10% capacity.
Authorities have announced plans to fine households and businesses that consume excessive amounts of water.
