CLAIM
Rain in Middle East caused by Iranian strike on American radars, UAE climate centre
WHAT HAPPENED?
US and Israeli forces launched a war against Iran on February 28. After more than five weeks of intense military confrontation, President Donald Trump indefinitely extended what was initially a two-week ceasefire, but the conflict, and its widespread economic fallout, remains unresolved.
In late May and April, severe thunderstorms hit parts of the Middle East, battering countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Yemen. Oman reported hailstones while Doha experienced flooding.
Amid these weather events, several people took to X and Facebook, linking the rains to the war. They claimed that the rains were caused by an Iranian strikes on US radars in the region. One X user, who calls themselves a researcher in the bio and appears to be pro-Iranian, said: “There is a conspiracy theory that says after Iran destroyed American radars in Arab countries, the rainfall increased in Iran.” The post gained over 2.8 million views.
Several other social media users also shared similar claims. A Facebook user posted: “In the first days of the war, Iran struck a cloud seeding and climate modification centre located in the UAE, after which the situation drastically changed.” He further claimed that the alleged facility was “aimed at influencing the climate in the region”.
WHAT WE FOUND
A keyword search yielded a news report by The Washington Post, dated March 25, 2026, with the headline: “Rare Middle East storm could bring floods, damaging winds and tornadoes.” It stated that a “tornado alley-style” storm system was to hit the Middle East in a “virtually unheard of atmospheric setup for the region”.
Large expanses of the desert may flood, in some cases picking up a year’s worth of rainfall in three days. At least one model shows storm effects stretching from parts of Iran toward Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the report said.
Similar news stories were also published by the New York Times and Dawn. This proves that the downpour had already been predicted beforehand instead of being a sudden event.
The team also found a weather report by the World Meteorological Organisation which stated that “moderate/local heavy rain and thunderstorms (flashfloods/landslides possible)” were expected in Iran from April 18-21.
Videos shared by several news outlets, showing downpour in Arab countries, are consistent with the forecast, climate experts said. They added that heavy rains were due for long after years of El Nino/La Nina cycles and extreme heart.
Moreover, a keyword search for “cloud seeding and climate modification centre in UAE” showed that the country did have a centre called the Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science. According to its website, the centre has been around since 1990 and works to advance rainfall enhancement research and strengthen global water security through innovation.
When a Google News search was conducted to check whether the centre had been attacked in an Iranian strike, no results were found. No such news was shared by the X account of the research centre as well, which has been regularly sharing updates.
At the same time, no credible sources, both military and scientific, indicated the presence of US radars being used for “weather warfare”, as claimed by some users. Instead, research and news reports show radars detect missiles and drones.
CONCLUSION
It is false to say that thunderstorms and rain in the Middle East during March 2026 were caused by Iranian attacks. The floods and rains were already forecast and are being linked to extreme heat in the region.
EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES
March 25, 2026, Washington Post news report:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026/03/24/middle-east-storm-flooding-tornado-iran-dubai/
March 2026, New York Times news report:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/weather/iran-uae-storm-flooding-rain.html
March 2026, Dawn news report:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1985065