Tehran UFO Incident

On September 19, 1976, residents of northern Tehran spotted a bright pulsating object in the sky, prompting the Iranian Air Force to dispatch F-4 Phantom II jets for investigation.
The encounter involved instrument malfunctions, radar locks, and a smaller object detaching from the main craft, later documented by the US Defense Intelligence Agency as an outstanding case of the UFO phenomenon.

The Incident

In the early hours of September 19, 1976, residents of northern Tehran reported a bright pulsating object in the sky.

The Iranian Air Force command post dispatched an F-4 Phantom II jet to investigate.

Investigation

As the first pilot approached, his instruments malfunctioned and communications were jammed, forcing him to break off.

A second F-4 was scrambled, piloted by Lieutenant Parviz Jafari.

Jafari achieved radar lock on the primary object, which appeared comparable in size to a Boeing 707 and emitted intense multicolored lights.

Key Observations

• When he attempted to fire an AIM-9 missile, his weapons control panel went dead.
• A smaller object detached from the primary craft and pursued his aircraft at high speed before returning to the parent object.
• Both pilots experienced temporary loss of instrumentation that restored itself once they increased their distance.

Significance

The incident was documented in a US Defense Intelligence Agency evaluation that classified it as an outstanding case meeting all criteria for a valid study of the UFO phenomenon.

The report noted the object demonstrated intelligent control and the ability to selectively disable military aircraft systems.

The Tehran incident is regarded as one of the most well-documented military UAP encounters due to the DIA's own evaluation rating it as exceptional. The selective electromagnetic interference with weapons and communication systems demonstrated capabilities unexplained by conventional technology. It provided early evidence of what would later be termed 'transmedium' characteristics in US defense terminology. Jafari's first-person account in Kean's book reveals extraordinary detail: At ~23:00 on September 18, 1976, multiple citizens called Mehrabad Airport. Night supervisor Houssain Pirouzi saw the object through binoculars at ~6,000 feet. Deputy General Yousefi personally observed it and ordered the scramble. First F-4 (Captain Aziz Khani, Lt. Hossein Shokri) experienced total instrument and communications failure upon approach. Jafari's second F-4 (with navigator Lt. Jalal Damirian) launched at ~01:30. Radar showed the object comparable in size to a Boeing 707. The object jumped 10 degrees twice at 70-mile range -- approximately 6.7 miles per moment, far less than a second. Armed with 8 missiles (4 radar-guided, 4 AIM-9 heat-seeking), when Jafari attempted to fire, his entire weapons panel and all instruments went dead simultaneously. At least three sub-objects separated from the main object: one charged directly at the F-4, another circled it, and a third landed on the ground emitting an Emergency Squawk signal that remained active for days. After landing, both crew were hospitalized with blood clotting abnormalities and underwent monthly checkups for 4 months. Instruments failed on three separate aircraft (both F-4s plus a civilian airliner). Colonel Olin Mooy (USAF/MAAG Tehran) attended Jafari's debriefing and told him: 'You're lucky you couldn't fire.' The DIA memo (FOIA-released) was assessed by Major Colonel Roland Evans as 'a classic which meets all criteria for a valid study of the UFO phenomenon' with reliability rated 'high.' The Shah of Iran visited the squadron and confirmed this was not the first report he had received.

Additional integrated notes from the duplicate record: Mehrabad tower supervisor Hossain/Houssain Perouzi described a rectangular or cylindrical object with pulsating blue ends and a circling red light. The duplicate record also preserved later witness/context claims that Iranian generals Yousefi and Sabahat confirmed a high-level briefing with U.S. General Richard Secord, that Lt. General Azarbarzin stated the encounter was carefully documented and passed to the USAF, and that a DSP satellite reportedly registered an anomalous object in Iranian airspace. These points are kept as contextual claims while the canonical event remains anchored in the DIA/NSA documentation and witness accounts.