The Night Tehran Looked Up in Terror
September 19, 1976. The clock had just passed midnight in Tehran, capital of Iran under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The city slept under a clear autumn sky, the air crisp with the first hint of cooler weather. Then, at approximately 12:30 a.m., the phones at Mehrabad International Airport began ringing incessantly.
Citizens from the affluent Shemiran district in northern Tehran reported a brilliant object hovering low over their homes – brighter than any star or planet, flashing alternating colors of red, green, orange, and blue in rapid, rhythmic sequence. Some described it as diamond-shaped, others as a large rectangle with rounded corners. Estimates of size ranged from "half the apparent size of the moon" to "as large as a bus."
Air traffic controllers at Mehrabad confirmed the visual sighting from the tower. Ground radar screens at Mehrabad and Shahrokhi Air Base (300 miles away) had both locked onto the object. Very solid radar returns at both sites, there was definitely "something" there, and it was maneuvering intelligently at altitudes from 6,000 to 12,000 feet.
The Imperial Iranian Air Force scrambled jets. What followed over the next two hours was one of the most dramatic, thoroughly documented, and technically corroborated military UFO encounters in history. Complete with electromagnetic interference, weapons system failure, smaller objects detaching, ground radar confirmation, and eventual assessment by U.S. intelligence as an "outstanding" case.
The Ground Witnesses and Initial Reports
The first calls came from Shemiran residents. One civilian described:
"It was flashing with intense colors. The lights were so bright they lit up the ground below. It hovered silently, then moved slowly across the sky."
– Civilian witness report to tower
Airport personnel and military radar operators tracked the object for over an hour before jets arrived. Deputy Commander of Operations General Yousefi later confirmed multiple independent radar locks.
The First Jet: Lieutenant Yadi Nazeri's Failed Intercept
The first F-4 Phantom II launched from Shahrokhi Air Base at 1:30 a.m., piloted by Lieutenant Yadi Nazeri with back-seater Lieutenant Jalal Damirian.
Climbing to intercept, Nazeri acquired radar lock at 25 nautical miles. The object was brilliant, diamond-shaped, with pulsating lights at each corner.
As he closed distance, all instrumentation and communications failed simultaneously. No radio, no radar, no navigation. Only when Nazeri turned away did systems return. He aborted and returned to base.
The Second Jet: Captain Parviz Jafari's Extraordinary Close Encounter
At 1:40 a.m., a second F-4 launched – piloted by Captain Parviz Jafari (later Major General) with back-seater Lieutenant Javad Bayat.
Jafari acquired the object visually and on radar at 30 miles. Closing rapidly:
"It was half the size of the moon as seen from Earth. It was radiating intense light in four colors: blue, green, red, and orange. The colors were flashing rapidly, like a strobe."
– General Parviz Jafari, 2007 UN panel and multiple interviews
At 25 nautical miles, Jafari attempted radar lock for an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile. The weapons control panel went completely dead. No fire control, no missile tone.
Suddenly, a smaller object detached from the main craft, it was cylindrical, brilliant white in color and accelerated toward Jafari at an incredible speed.
"This thing came straight toward me at Mach 2 or 3. I thought it was a missile. I tried to launch one of my own, nothing happened. The weapons panel was dead. I felt a pressure in my head. It was very uncomfortable."
– Parviz Jafari
Jafari executed a hard turn to evade. The small object passed close enough to illuminate his cockpit before rejoining the larger craft. A second small object detached toward the ground, descending rapidly into a dry lake bed south of Tehran. It glowed briefly on the surface, then reascended and rejoined the main object.
"The second object went down and landed on the ground. It cast a bright light over a large area, about 2-3 kilometers. Then it took off again and rejoined the mother ship."
– Parviz Jafari
Jafari pursued until low fuel forced return. The main object remained visible for hours, finally vanishing at high speed.
Ground Confirmation and Physical Effects
Multiple ground witnesses, including air traffic controllers, civilians, and military personnel. Radar tracks from Mehrabad and Shahrokhi confirmed the object and smaller detachments, independent corroboration across systems.
A landing site was examined the next day. Crew reported slight radiation traces and disturbed soil (though readings were debated).
Jafari later experienced physical effects: temporary vision issues and fatigue.
The Declassified U.S. Intelligence Assessment
The Iranian Air Force filed a four-page report. U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency obtained it through embassy channels. The declassified DIA memo (October 12, 1976) concluded:
"This case is a classic which meets all the criteria necessary for a valid study of the UFO phenomenon... The credibility of many of the witnesses is high."
– U.S. DIA report
They noted electromagnetic effects on aircraft systems, high witness reliability, and no conventional explanation (not Venus, balloon, or aircraft).
Pilot Quotes and Legacy
General Jafari has spoken publicly multiple times (2007 UN panel, 2012 interviews):
"I was scared. I thought it was going to fire on me. But it didn't. It was playing with me."
– Parviz Jafari
General Jafari has also stated:
"The technology was far beyond anything we had. It could stop our weapons and communications at will."
– Parviz Jafari
The case remains today as one of UFOlogy's "gold standards". Military pilots, multiple radar confirmations, EM effects, declassified documents all point to something real and not prosaic.
Timeline
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 12:30 AM | Citizen reports begin |
| 1:30 AM | First F-4 (Nazeri) scrambled, systems fail |
| 1:40 AM | Second F-4 (Jafari) engages |
| ~2:00 AM | Smaller objects detach, one approaches jet |
| Morning | Landing site examined |
| Oct 1976 | DIA declassifies report |
Final Verdict
THE CHASE THAT ENDED IN SILENCE. Two elite F-4 Phantoms pursued a glowing diamond over Tehran. Instruments died. Weapons failed. Smaller craft emerged and danced. Ground radar confirmed it all. The U.S. called it "outstanding." Iran never explained it. Whatever flew that night was faster, smarter, and untouchable. The pilots knew. The radars knew. And now we know.