Shiraz UFO Photo: Teenager Jamshid Saiadipour Photographs Hat-Shaped UFO
Sixteen-year-old Jamshid Saiadipour photographed a glowing hat-shaped UFO hovering motionless outside his Shiraz/Tehran home at 4 a.m. Published in Tehran Magazine on May 18. The photo was included in U.S. DIA files and released in 1980 via FOIA. U.S. officials showed interest due to superficial resemblance to classified Tacit Blue aircraft, though Tacit Blue did not hover, did not glow, and was not yet flying in 1978.
Background
EVENT TITLE: Shiraz UFO Photo: Teenager Jamshid Saiadipour Photographs Hat-Shaped UFO
EVENT DATE: 1978-05-13
EVENT TYPE: sighting
Sixteen-year-old Jamshid Saiadipour photographed a glowing, hat-shaped UFO hovering outside his Shiraz/Tehran home at 4 a.m. The photograph was published in Tehran Magazine on May 18, 1978, and later included in U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) files. The files were released in 1980 via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The Incident
On May 13, 1978, at approximately 4:00 a.m., Jamshid Saiadipour, a sixteen-year-old Iranian teenager, was studying for exams. While at his Shiraz/Tehran home, he observed a glowing, hat-shaped UFO hovering motionless in the night sky outside his window. Saiadipour photographed the object.
The photograph was published in the May 18, 1978, edition of Tehran Magazine.
Investigation
The article and photograph were included in U.S. DIA files. These files were later released in 1980 through a FOIA request. A civil aviation organization official called for an investigation, but whether any was made is not known.
Significance
The Shiraz UFO photo is significant because it is a well-documented UFO sighting with photographic evidence. The inclusion of the case in U.S. DIA files suggests that U.S. officials took some interest in the event. The object's shape and the circumstances of the sighting have led to comparisons with classified aircraft, although these comparisons have been largely dismissed due to inconsistencies.