The Tehran F-4 Incident — Deep Dive

📸 Photo Gallery

Twelve images — the F-4 Phantom II interceptor aircraft used by the Imperial Iranian Air Force, the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile that failed to fire, Mehrabad Airport where the object was first reported, maps of Iran and Tehran, a radar scope display, and panoramic views of Tehran. Click any photo to view full size.

F-4 Phantom II in flight (QF-4E at Holloman AFB)

A U.S. Air Force QF-4E Phantom II flies over White Sands Missile Range, 2008. The F-4 Phantom II was the interceptor used by the Imperial Iranian Air Force during the Tehran incident.

📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Commons page

F-4 Phantom II on display

Front view of an F-4 Phantom II at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, March 2007.

📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Commons page

Imperial Iranian Air Force F-4D Phantom II with brake chute

An IIAF F-4D Phantom II deploying its brake chute. This is the type of aircraft scrambled to intercept the UFO over Tehran in 1976.

📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Commons page

First IIAF Phantom Pilots at Davis-Monthan AFB

The first Imperial Iranian Air Force Phantom pilots training at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, USA. Iran purchased 225 F-4 fighter planes from the United States.

📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Commons page

The First F-4D Phantom II Squadron of Iran, 1971

The first F-4D Phantom II squadron of the Imperial Iranian Air Force, photographed in 1971—just five years before the Tehran UFO incident.

📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Commons page

Iranian F-4E Phantom II armed with AGM-65 Maverick

An Iranian Air Force F-4E Phantom II armed with AGM-65 Maverick missiles. The F-4E was one of the variants operated by Iran during the 1976 incident.

📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Commons page

AIM-9 Sidewinder missile

The AIM-9 Sidewinder infrared-guided missile that Major Jafari attempted to fire at the object—his weapons systems failed at the instant he tried to launch.

📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Commons page

Mehrabad Airport, Tehran - 1973

Mehrabad Airport, Tehran, as it appeared in 1973—three years before the UFO incident. Air traffic controller Hossein Pirouzi was based here and first reported the object.

📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Commons page

Map of Iran (CIA, 1982)

CIA map of Iran showing Tehran and Hamadan (Shahrokhi Air Base), where the two F-4 interceptors were launched from.

📷 Wikimedia Commons / CIA · Public domain · Commons page

Tehran map, Azar 1354 (Nov-Dec 1975)

A map of Tehran from late 1975 (Iranian calendar 1354), less than a year before the UFO incident. Shows the city layout the F-4s were operating over.

📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Commons page

Radar scope display (L-scope)

An L-scope radar display of the type used in military air defense. The Tehran object was tracked on both ground and airborne radar.

📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Commons page

Tehran Panorama from Jamshidieh

Panoramic view of Tehran, the city where the 1976 UFO incident occurred. The object was first spotted over the Shemiran neighborhood in the north of the city.

📷 Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · Commons page

📖 The Full Story

The night two F-4 interceptors lost all instruments over Tehran, a missile lock failed, a smaller object detached, and the DIA called it "outstanding" — one of the most well-documented military UFO encounters in history.

On September 19, 1976, multiple civilians and military personnel in Tehran, Iran, reported a massive unidentified flying object over the city. Two Imperial Iranian Air Force F-4 Phantom II interceptors were scrambled to investigate. Both jets lost instrumentation and communications when approaching the object—systems restored upon withdrawal. One pilot attempted to fire an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile but all weapons systems failed simultaneously. The object was tracked on ground radar, airborne radar, and visually confirmed by pilots. A declassified DIA report called it an 'outstanding' case that meets all criteria for a ufological study.

The incident began late on the evening of September 18, 1976, when residents in the Shemiran neighborhood of northern Tehran began calling Mehrabad Airport to report a bright, shining object in the sky. Air traffic controller Hossein Pirouzi observed it himself — describing a rectangular shape with two large lights at either end and a small red light circling its midsection. He reported it to General Youssefi, the Iranian Air Force command duty officer, who personally observed the object from his balcony and estimated it was the size of a Boeing 707.

General Youssefi authorized an interception. The first F-4, piloted by Lieutenant Yaddi Nazeri, was scrambled from Shahrokhi Air Base at Hamadan, 275 km away. Nazeri could see the object from 70 miles out. But when he approached to within 25 nautical miles, all his instrumentation and communications went dead. He broke off and returned to base — and the instruments came back online.

The second F-4, piloted by Major Parviz Jafari — a squadron commander who would later become a general — was scrambled next. Jafari acquired radar lock at 27 nautical miles. The radar return was comparable in size to a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. As he approached, the object maintained its distance. Jafari described it as "flashing with intense red, green, orange and blue lights so bright that I was not able to see its body." Then a smaller, round object detached from the primary object and headed directly at his F-4 "at a high rate of speed, almost as if it were a missile."

Jafari attempted to fire an AIM-9 Sidewinder. At that instant, everything failed — weapons control, UHF communications, intercom, even the ejection seat, a purely mechanical system. He performed a turn and negative-G dive to evade. The smaller object turned inside his maneuver, then returned and merged with the primary object. As Jafari turned to return to base, another bright object detached and descended to the ground, lighting up a 2-3 kilometer area. He expected an explosion that never came — it appeared to land gently.

The next day, Jafari flew by helicopter to the landing site. They found nothing on the ground, but detected a beeping transponder signal. Nearby residents reported hearing a loud noise like lightning and seeing a very bright flash during the night. A civilian airliner near Mehrabad had also reported UHF communication failures in the same area. The DIA documented everything in an intelligence report, calling it "outstanding" and forwarding it to the White House. The CIA later suggested the object was Jupiter — but Jupiter was approximately 90 degrees away from the direction the pilots were observing.

Sources: Wikipedia — 1976 Tehran UFO incident; The Black Vault — 1976 Iran Incident Case File; DIA/Joint Chiefs of Staff Report (declassified); NSA — The U.S. Government & The Iran Case; CIA Reading Room; Lt. Col. Olin Mooy Memorandum for Record; MIJI Quarterly Report MQ-3-78; Skeptoid Podcast #315 (Brian Dunning, 2012); Klass, P. (1983) UFOs: The Public Deceived; Kean, L. (2010) UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record; IIAF.net — Tehran Dogfight Incident; NOUFORS — Parviz Jafari interview archive; Metabunk — The 1976 Iran F4 UAP/UFO Case

⏱️ Timeline

From the first civilian sightings on September 18, 1976, through the F-4 scrambles, instrument failures, the attempted missile firing, the object "landing," the DIA report forwarded to the White House, Philip Klass's skeptical analysis, Jafari's 2007 National Press Club appearance, and the 2021 re-release of declassified documents — the complete chronology of the Tehran F-4 UFO Incident.

September 18, 1976 (late evening)

Residents in the Shemiran neighborhood of Tehran begin observing a bright shining object in the night sky. The object is described differently by witnesses but consistently reported as very bright and unusual.

September 19, 1976, ~12:30 AM

Hossein Pirouzi, air traffic controller at Mehrabad Airport, receives at least four telephone calls from citizens in Shemiran reporting a strange shining object in the sky. Pirouzi observes the object himself and describes it as rectangular with two large lights and a small red light circling its midsection.

September 19, 1976, ~12:30-1:00 AM

Pirouzi reports the object to General Youssefi at the Imperial Iranian Air Force. Youssefi observes the object from his balcony and describes it as comparable in size to a Boeing 707. He contacts Shahrokhi Air Force Base at Hamadan, but their radar shows nothing (Mehrabad's radar was under repair). Youssefi authorizes an interception.

September 19, 1976, 1:30 AM

First F-4 Phantom II scrambled from Shahrokhi Air Base (Hamadan), piloted by Lt. Yaddi Nazeri with a weapons officer. The object is visible from 70 miles away.

September 19, 1976, ~1:30-1:40 AM

Approaching to 25 nautical miles from the object, Nazeri's F-4 loses all instrumentation and UHF/Intercom communications. Nazeri breaks off the intercept and returns to base. Instruments come back online upon withdrawal.

September 19, 1976, ~1:40 AM

Second F-4 Phantom II scrambled, piloted by Major Parviz Jafari (squadron commander) with First Lieutenant Jalal Damirian as weapons officer.

September 19, 1976, ~1:45-2:00 AM

Jafari acquires radar lock on the object at 27 nautical miles, 12 o'clock high. The radar return is comparable to a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker in size. As the F-4 approaches to 25 NM, the object appears to move away to maintain distance.

September 19, 1976, ~2:00 AM

Jafari describes the object as 'flashing with intense red, green, orange and blue lights so bright that I was not able to see its body.' A smaller round object detaches from the primary object and heads directly toward the F-4 at high speed 'almost as if it were a missile.'

September 19, 1976, ~2:00-2:10 AM

Jafari attempts to fire an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile at the approaching object. At that instant, his weapons control panel goes dead, and he loses all UHF and intercom communications. The ejection seat (a mechanical system) also fails. Jafari performs a turn and negative-G dive to evade. The smaller object turns inside his maneuver, then returns and merges with the primary object.

September 19, 1976, ~2:10 AM

As Jafari turns to return, another bright object detaches from the primary object and descends directly to the ground, lighting up a 2-3 kilometer area. Jafari expects an explosion that does not happen — the object appears to land gently, radiating a bright light.

September 19, 1976, ~2:15 AM

Jafari descends from 25M to 15M altitude to mark the landing location. He prepares to land at Mehrabad rather than return to Shahrokhi. During approach, he experiences further intermittent communications and navigation failures.

September 19, 1976, ~2:15-2:30 AM

A commercial airliner in the vicinity of Mehrabad Airport also reports communication failures (UHF) in the same area, though does not visually report the object. Ground radar at Mehrabad picks up the object after the pilot directs tower personnel to look between the mountains and the refinery.

September 19, 1976, pre-dawn

At dawn, the F-4 crew reports nothing unusual at the spot where the object appeared to land. The object apparently had departed.

September 19, 1976, daytime

Jafari and Damirian fly by helicopter to the location where the object appeared to land. They find nothing visible on the ground. As the helicopter circles to the west, a beeping transponder signal is detected. They home in on the signal near a house. Occupants of the house report hearing a loud noise like lightning and seeing a bright flash of light during the night.

September 22, 1976

The DIA intelligence report is filed, documenting the incident based on Lt. Col. Mooy's debriefing. The report is forwarded to the White House and National Security Council.

November 1976

Lt. Col. Mooy's Memorandum for Record is published in NICAP's 'UFO Investigator' newsletter, titled 'Iranian Air Force Jets Scrambled.'

October 1978

The 'Now You See It, Now You Don't' article appears in the USAF Security Services MIJI Quarterly (MQ-3-78), a classified publication about jamming and interference.

1981

The 'Now You See It, Now You Don't' document is declassified and released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

1983

Philip J. Klass publishes 'UFOs: The Public Deceived' (pages 111-124), offering the first major skeptical analysis of the Tehran incident, proposing Jupiter as the explanation.

1994

The TV series 'Sightings' airs an episode about the Tehran incident. Lt. Nazeri gives an interview stating the object outpaced him at Mach 2. Some details are dramatized or altered in the broadcast.

2007

Major (later General) Parviz Jafari speaks at the National Press Club UFO Conference in Washington, D.C., publicly recounting his experience.

2010

Leslie Kean publishes 'UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record,' featuring Jafari's first-hand account of the Tehran incident.

2012

Brian Dunning publishes a Skeptoid episode ('The Tehran 1976 UFO') providing a detailed skeptical analysis of the incident, examining each of the six unexplained elements.

2021

The DIA/Joint Chiefs of Staff report and MIJI Quarterly article are re-released through official Department of Defense media channels.

👁️ Key Witnesses

Ten key witnesses — two F-4 pilots, a weapons officer, the air force general who ordered the scramble, the air traffic controller who first reported the object, the deputy commander who confirmed the military took it seriously, the USAF officer who debriefed the Iranians, civilian callers, a commercial airliner crew, and residents near the "landing" site.

Major Parviz Jafari

IIAF squadron commander, pilot of the second F-4 Phantom II

Jafari acquired radar lock on the object at 27 nautical miles. He described it as 'flashing with intense red, green, orange and blue lights so bright that I was not able to see its body.' A smaller round object detached and came toward him 'at a high rate of speed, almost as if it were a missile.' When he attempted to fire an AIM-9 Sidewinder, all weapons systems and communications failed simultaneously. He performed a turn and negative-G dive. After turning away, the systems came back online. He later saw a bright object detach and land gently on the ground. He stated: 'I believe in UFOs. I cannot ignore their existence.' Jafari later became a general and spoke publicly about the incident, including at the 2007 NPC UFO Conference in Washington D.C.

Credibility: Experienced military aviator and squadron commander. Later promoted to General. Spoke publicly and consistently about the incident for decades.

Lieutenant Yaddi (Yadollah) Nazeri

Pilot of the first F-4 Phantom II scrambled to intercept

Nazeri could see the object from 70 miles away. When 25 nautical miles from the object, he lost all instrumentation and UHF/Intercom communications. He returned to base and instruments came back online. In a 1994 interview, Nazeri said the object outpaced him even at Mach 2 speed, which was when he began to believe he was dealing with an extraterrestrial UFO.

Credibility: Military pilot trained on F-4 Phantom II under the Imperial Iranian Air Force.

First Lieutenant Jalal Damirian

Weapons officer (backseater) in Major Jafari's F-4

Served as the weapons systems officer alongside Jafari during the second intercept. Witnessed the radar lock, the object's behavior, and the systems failures alongside Jafari.

Credibility: Trained weapons systems officer.

General Youssefi

Iranian Air Force command duty officer who ordered the interceptions

After receiving reports from air traffic controller Pirouzi, Youssefi observed the object himself from his balcony. He described it as comparable in size to a Boeing 707. He authorized both F-4 scrambles. He later reported that the second F-4 attempted a Mach 2 intercept but could not catch up with the object.

Credibility: General officer who personally observed the object before ordering the scramble.

Hossein Pirouzi

Air traffic controller at Mehrabad Airport Control Tower, Tehran

Pirouzi received at least four phone calls from citizens in the Shemiran neighborhood of Tehran reporting a shining object. He personally observed the object and described it as rectangular in shape with two large lights at either end and a small red light circling its midsection. He provided directions to the interceptors and reported the object to General Youssefi.

Credibility: Professional air traffic controller with direct visual observation.

General Azarbarzin

Iranian Air Force Deputy Commander

In a 1977 phone interview, Azarbarzin discussed the jamming of F-4 systems and other aspects of the incident. He stated: 'I believe in UFOs. I cannot ignore their existence. They want to find some way of contacting the people of earth. They are trying.' He confirmed the military took the incident very seriously.

Credibility: High-ranking military officer, Deputy Commander of the Iranian Air Force.

Lt. Col. Olin Mooy

USAF Section Chief in Iran, conducted the official debriefing

Mooy was invited by Iranian military to a debriefing after the incident. His Memorandum for Record, based on his notes, is the primary U.S. government document about the incident. It was never classified and was published in NICAP's newsletter two months later.

Credibility: USAF intelligence officer with direct access to the Iranian military's accounts.

Civilian witnesses in Shemiran, Tehran

At least four citizens who telephoned Mehrabad Airport

At least four civilians living in the Shemiran area of Tehran called the airport to report strange objects in the sky. One described the object as 'like a sun in the sky,' looking like 'a fan with four blades,' and said it sometimes seemed to separate into two objects.

Credibility: Multiple independent civilian reports to authorities.

Civilian airliner crew near Tehran

The Iranian military took the incident seriously enough to scramble jets twice, with a general (Youssefi) personally observing the object before authorizing the intercepts. This was not a casual response.

The DIA documented the incident in an official intelligence report and forwarded it to the White House and National Security Council — an extraordinary level of attention for a UFO report, especially in the post-Project Blue Book era.

The case was studied by multiple U.S. intelligence agencies: the DIA, USAF intelligence, the NSA, and the CIA all generated or referenced documents about the Tehran incident.

The incident demonstrated that UFOs could — if the reports are accurate — disable military aircraft systems at will. The selective jamming of communications, electronics, and fire control systems remains beyond known military capability, making this one of the most concerning military UFO encounters on record.

The incident was cited as evidence in later UFO disclosure efforts, including Leslie Kean's 2010 book 'UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record' (with a foreword by John Podesta), which influenced public discourse leading to the eventual 2022 Congressional hearings on UFOs.

The incident occurred during the Shah's reign in Iran, just years before the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Much of the Iranian documentation was lost during the revolution, making the U.S. intelligence documents even more significant as the primary surviving record.

For Major Jafari, the encounter transformed his worldview. He later stated: 'I believe in UFOs. I cannot ignore their existence. They want to find some way of contacting the people of earth. They are trying.' His willingness to speak publicly, even after the revolution changed Iran's government, gave the case enduring credibility.

The case established a template for how military UFO encounters should be documented and analyzed — with multi-sensor confirmation (radar, visual, effects on equipment), trained observer testimony, and official intelligence reporting.

💡 Things You Didn't Know

Sixteen surprising facts about the Tehran F-4 incident — from the Boeing 707 size estimate, to both F-4s losing all instruments, the missile lock failure, a smaller object detaching, Jupiter being 90 degrees away, a civilian airliner corroborating the electromagnetic effects, the transponder signal at the landing site, and the DIA calling it "outstanding."

The object was estimated to be the size of a Boeing 707 — massive. General Youssefi described it as comparable to a Boeing 707, and the F-4's radar return was compared to a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, a large military tanker aircraft.
Both F-4s lost all instrumentation when approaching the object — weapons, communications, even the ejection seat (a purely mechanical system) failed. When the jets turned away, their instruments came back online. This pattern of selective, proximity-based interference has never been explained.
One pilot (Jafari) attempted to fire an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile at a smaller object approaching his aircraft — at the instant he tried to fire, all systems failed simultaneously, including weapons control, UHF communications, intercom, and the ejection seat.
A smaller object detached from the main object and approached Jafari's F-4 'at a high rate of speed, almost as if it were a missile.' After Jafari's evasive maneuver, the smaller object turned inside his flight path and returned to merge with the primary object.
The object was tracked on three independent confirmation systems: ground radar at Mehrabad Airport, airborne radar in the F-4 (which locked on at 27 nautical miles), and visual confirmation by pilots, air traffic controllers, and a general — yet skeptics still debate what it was.
The DIA report was forwarded to the White House and National Security Council — one of the very few post-Project Blue Book UFO records distributed to that level of government.
The CIA suggested the object was Jupiter — but Jupiter was approximately 90 degrees away from the direction the pilots were observing. This astronomical explanation has been disputed by UFOlogists and partially acknowledged as imperfect by some skeptics.
The object was described as emitting alternating strobes of red, green, orange, and blue light — so fast that all four colors were visible simultaneously. The lights were so bright that Jafari said he 'was not able to see its body.'
A civilian airliner near Tehran also reported communication failures (UHF) in the same vicinity as the F-4s — an independent corroboration of the electromagnetic effects, even though the airliner crew did not see the object.
The incident happened during the Shah's reign in Pahlavi Iran — just three years before the 1979 Iranian Revolution that would transform the country. Much of the original Iranian documentation was lost in the revolution, making the U.S. intelligence documents the primary surviving record.
The next day, Jafari flew by helicopter to the 'landing' site and found nothing — but detected a beeping transponder signal. Nearby residents reported hearing a loud noise like lightning and seeing a very bright flash of light during the night.
Mehrabad Airport's own radar was under repair and not operational during the incident — which is why General Youssefi initially contacted Shahrokhi Air Base at Hamadan, 275 km away. Despite Mehrabad's radar being down, it later picked up the object after the pilot directed tower personnel where to look.
Lt. Col. Mooy's Memorandum for Record — the foundational U.S. government document about the incident — was never classified. It was published two months later in NICAP's civilian 'UFO Investigator' newsletter in November 1976.
The 'Now You See It, Now You Don't' document, often cited as evidence of a classified government investigation, was actually a dramatized editorial in the USAF Security Services' MIJI (Meaconing, Intrusion, Jamming, and Interference) Quarterly newsletter — classified only because the newsletter itself required a clearance.
Philip Klass, the leading UFO skeptic, found that the first F-4 (Nazeri's) had a documented history of electrical problems and had been repaired just a month before the incident — suggesting its failures may have been mechanical rather than caused by the UFO.
The DIA itself called the incident 'outstanding' and a 'classic' that 'meets all the criteria for a ufological study' — an extraordinary official assessment from an intelligence agency.

Includes a segment on the 1976 Tehran UFO Incident (at approximately 24:30), connecting it to broader UAP disclosure efforts and Middle Eastern UFO history.

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📸 Photo Gallery

F-4 Phantom II in flight (QF-4E at Holloman AFB)

F-4 Phantom II on display

Imperial Iranian Air Force F-4D Phantom II with brake chute

First IIAF Phantom Pilots at Davis-Monthan AFB

The First F-4D Phantom II Squadron of Iran, 1971

Iranian F-4E Phantom II armed with AGM-65 Maverick

AIM-9 Sidewinder missile

Mehrabad Airport, Tehran - 1973

Map of Iran (CIA, 1982)

Tehran map, Azar 1354 (Nov-Dec 1975)

Radar scope display (L-scope)

Tehran Panorama from Jamshidieh

📖 The Full Story

⏱️ Timeline

👁️ Key Witnesses

Major Parviz Jafari

Lieutenant Yaddi (Yadollah) Nazeri

First Lieutenant Jalal Damirian

General Youssefi

Hossein Pirouzi

General Azarbarzin

Lt. Col. Olin Mooy

Civilian witnesses in Shemiran, Tehran

Civilian airliner crew near Tehran

Residents near the 'landing' site

📂 Documents & Records

DIA Intelligence Report: UFO Sighting in Iran, 19 September 1976

'Now You See It, Now You Don't' — MIJI Quarterly Report

NSA Document: The U.S. Government & The Iran Case

CIA Reading Room: 'What Were Those Mysterious Craft?'

Lt. Col. Olin Mooy Memorandum for Record

The Black Vault: 1976 Iran Incident Case File

Tehran Dogfight Incident — IIAF.net

Scribd: 1976 Tehran UFO Incident Documents, Sketches, Interviews

⚖️ Skeptical Analysis

Jupiter or another astronomical body

Equipment malfunction and pilot fatigue

Pilot misidentification of celestial objects and meteors

The 'missiles' were misidentified celestial phenomena

The classified documents prove nothing extraordinary

Overall skeptical consensus

💔 Human Impact

💡 Things You Didn't Know

📚 Books

UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record

UFOs and the National Security State: The Cover-Up Exposed, 1973-1991

UFOs and the National Security State: Chronology of a Coverup, 1941-1973

UFOs: The Public Deceived

🎬 Documentaries & Videos

The 1976 Iran UFO Incident - The Case That Started it All

The Tehran UFO Battle in 1976

Tehran UFO Incident, 1976 - Documentary

Iran's Bizarre UFO Encounter, 1976 Tehran

We Can't Fight Them — UAP Disclosure Day in the Middle East

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