Tehran UFO incident

Around 12:30 a.m. on September 19, 1976. The Imperial Iranian Air Force command post received calls about a bright object over Tehran. The duty officer saw it himself. He ordered an F-4 from Shahrokhi Air Base to investigate. The first jet approached to within about 25 nautical miles. Its instruments and communications failed. They returned when the pilot turned away.

A second F-4 went up, flown by Lt. Parviz Jafari. He acquired the object on radar with a return comparable to a Boeing 707. As he closed, a smaller bright object emerged from the main one and headed toward him at high speed. Jafari attempted to fire an AIM-9 missile. His weapons panel and communications went dead. He turned away. The smaller object returned to the main one. Another object was seen to descend toward the ground and land, illuminating a wide area. A civilian airliner in the area also reported communications loss.

The U.S. Air Force attaché in Tehran filed a report. It was distributed to the DIA, NSA, CIA, and White House. A DIA evaluation form released under FOIA rated the report 'outstanding'. It noted the multiple credible witnesses, radar confirmation, and electromagnetic effects. Jafari, later a general, has repeated his account publicly, including at a 2007 National Press Club event.

The debate that followed offered other readings. Skeptics have suggested the bright object was Jupiter. That the F-4 equipment failures reflected known maintenance problems. That a meteor shower could account for some lights. Proponents note the radar contact and the consistent pilot testimony.