On September 19, 1976, civilians and military personnel in Tehran, the capital of Iran, saw an unidentified flying object (UFO) using radar and with their eyes. In two separate events, two Iranian Air Force F-4 Phantom II jet interceptors reported losing their instruments and radio contact as they approached the object. These issues were fixed when the planes moved away. One plane also reported that its weapons system stopped working briefly while the crew was getting ready to shoot. An airliner also experienced a radio failure.

This event is considered one of the most "credible" in the study of UFOs because of the detailed records and the professional backgrounds of those involved.

Background

Tehran was the capital of Iran during the time when the Pahlavi dynasty ruled the country. This dynasty had strong military relationships with the United States.

The event took place during the Cold War, a period when unidentified aerial phenomena were viewed with great concern.

Incident

On September 19, 1976, at around 1:00 AM, Hossein Pirouzi, an air traffic controller at Mehrabad Airport, received reports from four civilians about a bright object in the sky above Shemiran, a neighborhood in Tehran. Pirouzi saw the object himself and described it as rectangular with two large lights at each end and a small red light that moved around the middle. He told General Youssefi of the Imperial Iranian Air Force, who also saw the object from his balcony. General Youssefi ordered an interception mission, with directions from Pirouzi.

At 1:30 AM, Lieutenant Yadollah Nazeri and a weapons officer flew in an F-4 Phantom II jet to investigate. They spotted the object from 70 miles away. When they were 25 nautical miles away, their instruments and radio communications stopped working. They returned to base, where their equipment began working again. Nazeri later said in a 1994 interview that the object moved faster than his jet, which flew at Mach 2, and this made him believe it might be a UFO from another planet.

Ten minutes later, Major Parviz Jafari and First Lieutenant Jalal Damirian flew in a second F-4 Phantom II to intercept the object, as ordered by General Youssefi. General Youssefi told Jafari the object was about the same size as a Boeing 707. Jafari used radar to track the object at 27 nautical miles away, moving toward them at 150 knots. The object’s radar signal was similar to that of a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. When they were 25 nautical miles away, the object seemed to move away.

As Jafari approached, the object flashed bright red, green, orange, and blue lights so intensely that he could not see its body. His plane’s communications system suddenly stopped working. Jafari said he saw a round object separate from the main object and fly directly toward his plane at high speed, like a missile. When he tried to fire a Sidewinder missile, his weapons controls and radio failed. He turned his plane and dove to avoid the object. He saw the second object move past him and then return to the main object. His ejection seat also stopped working. General Youssefi said the second F-4 tried to intercept the object again at Mach 2 speed but could not catch up.

When Jafari returned to air traffic control, he was told to go back to base. As he descended, he saw the main object, which looked diamond-shaped, and another bright object that flew toward the ground. He expected an explosion but saw the object slow down and land gently, glowing brightly. He marked the object’s location at 15,000 feet.

After landing, the jet had technical problems. A nearby airplane also reported radio failure. The next day, Jafari and Damirian flew by helicopter to the landing site but found nothing. A beeping signal was detected as the helicopter circled west. People nearby said they heard a loud noise and saw a bright flash the night before. Tests, including radiation checks, were planned for the area, but the results were not reported.

Aftermath

The crew was interviewed by the former Iranian Air Force commander, Lt. Gen. Shapour Azarbarzin. A report about the incident was sent to the U.S. Air Force, which was the standard process for UFO sightings, according to the Iranian general. Azarbarzin provided more details in an interview on January 4, 1977. He stated that the object’s speed was estimated to be Mach 3. Other people involved in the incident were interviewed in 1994.

An initial report of the incident was sent to the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff on the day it happened. Other U.S. offices and agencies that received the report included the Secretary of State, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the White House, the Air Force (CSAF), the Army Chiefs of Staff (CSA), the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Commander in Chief of U.S. Naval Forces in the Middle East, the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Air Force in Europe, the European Defense Air Command, and the Commander in Chief of Forces in Europe. It was reportedly a standard practice to share such reports with these offices in the sensitive Middle East area.

Analysis

A report by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) described the reported incident as "remarkable" and a clear example that fits all the requirements for a UFO study.

Martin Bridgstock, a researcher at Griffith University, stated:

U.S. journalist Philip J. Klass suggested that the pilots may have first seen an object in the sky, likely Jupiter, an idea also supported by aerospace researcher James Oberg. Klass explained that pilot mistakes and equipment problems might have caused the reported technical issues.

Klass noted that a Westinghouse technician at Shahrokhi Airbase said only the first F-4 aircraft reported equipment failure. This F-4 had a history of electrical problems and had been fixed just a month before the incident. Klass also mentioned that a McDonnell Douglas repair supervisor believed the F-4’s radar might have been in "manual track" mode, which could have led to incorrect radar readings.

Bridgstock criticized UFO researchers’ reports as "not a trustworthy account of the Iran UFO incident" and summarized Klass’ findings:

One pilot described seeing "bright objects" that "came at him and shot straight down into the ground." American skeptic author Brian Dunning pointed out that on September 19, the day of the incident, two annual meteor showers—Gamma Piscids and Southern Piscids—and the tail of the Eta Draconids shower were active. This means seeing falling objects or unusual lights in the sky would not have been unusual. A beeping transponder found at the supposed crash site was from a C-141 aircraft, according to investigating Col. Mooy. However, he noted that "they’d been having problems with the beepers being ejected simply by turbulence over the mountains just north of Tehran."

Dunning criticized UFO researchers and UFO-themed TV programs, such as Sightings, for describing the incident "as if the light was a hostile, intelligent alien spacecraft."

In popular culture

Retired General Parviz Jafari spoke publicly about the incident at the 2007 National Press Club conference in Washington, D.C.

The incident was the topic of an Iranian movie.

The incident has been reported in the following media:

• The television program The Sightings covered the incident in 1994, speaking with many people involved.
• The Daily Telegraph listed the incident as one of its top 10 UFO sightings (#7).
• The Guardian listed the incident as one of its top 10 UFO sightings (#10).

An editorial (see below) was published in the United States Air Force Security Services quarterly MIJI (Meaconing, Intrusion, Jamming, and Interference) newsletter. This newsletter is sometimes used by UFO researchers as evidence. According to Dunning, "because this service requires a security clearance, their newsletter is protected. There is nothing especially interesting about the actual article; it is just a dramatized retelling of the same information in Col. Mooy's memo, presented in the newsletter as a curious editorial about jamming and interference."

• Editorial from the US Air Force MIJI newsletter (page 1)
• Editorial from the US Air Force MIJI newsletter (page 2)
• Editorial from the US Air Force MIJI newsletter (page 3)