The Tehran Incident

September 19, 1976 - A little after midnight on this day, a mysterious object appeared over the Iranian capital of Tehran. The Imperial Iranian Air Force received 4 reports from civilians of an unidentified flying object. Some said it was shaped like a bird.

Officials in the airport control tower confirmed there was indeed a bright object in the sky and it wasn't a star. Two F-4 Phantom jet fighters were scrambled to intercept the UFO. When the first plane got within 25 miles of the object it lost power to all its instruments and radio communication. When the pilot turned around and headed back to the base, all power was restored and the plane was once again functioning normally.

The second jet was able to get a radar lock on the UFO from 27 miles away, but that was as close as the pilot could get. The object kept moving away at a speed that perfectly matched the jet fighter.

The pilot was able to see a square array of multi-colored lights, but the object was too bright to discern its overall shape. At one point, a smaller object emerged from the large one and approached the jet fighter at a rapid speed. The pilot thought he was under attack so he attempted to fire off a missile, but once again all the instruments went dead. The plane went into a nosedive to evade the oncoming object, but the glowing ball simply followed behind it for 3 to 4 miles before veering off and rejoining the larger object.

Eventually all the planes returned safely to the base and the mysterious object disappeared. Both pilots were able to provide detailed accounts of the incident. Radar maps and other witness reports added corroborating evidence.

Another perspective was recorded by a defense satellite. It captured a huge infrared anomaly over Tehran that lasted for an hour.

Nobody has ever been able to offer a plausible explanation for what happened that night and it remains one of the most well-documented UFO encounters of all time.