Joint Chiefs of Staff message: Reported UFO sighting, Tehran, September 1976
A September 1976 U.S. military message relays reports of civilian sightings and two Iranian F-4 intercepts near Tehran, including radar contact, equipment failures, apparently separating lights, and a follow-up ground search. It also records a civilian airliner communications problem and states that radiation checks were underway. The report records witness accounts; it does not identify an extraterrestrial origin or document a trajectory from deep space.
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Document Intel
Source status, provenance, and extraction context.
- Source / agency
- U.S. Defense Attaché Office, Tehran
- Type
- Report
- Classification
- Redacted
- Reference #
- IR 6 846 0139.76
- Published
- 1976-09-23
- Content Type
- application/pdf
- Pages
- 3
Structured Analysis
Claims and source material extracted from the document text. Timeline context is surfaced in document intel.
The military message reports four calls from Shemiran residents about unusual objects over Tehran on September 19, 1976.
RECEIVED FOUR TELEPHONE CALLS FROM CITIZENS LIVING IN THE SHEMIRAN AREA OF TEHRAN
The report says an initial suggestion of stars gave way to a decision to scramble an F-4 from Shahrokhi after a brighter, star-like object was seen.
HE NOTICED AN OBJECT IN THE SKY SIMILAR TO A STAR BIGGER AND BRIGHTER.
The report says the first F-4 lost instruments and communications near the object and recovered them after breaking off its approach.
AS THE F-4 APPROACHED A RANGE OF 25 NM HE LOST ALL INSTRUMENTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS (UHF AND INTERCOM).
The report says the second F-4 obtained a radar lock at 27 nautical miles and the target maintained a separation of about 25 nautical miles.
THE BACKSEATER ACQUIRED A RADAR LOCK ON AT 27 NM
The report compares the radar return with a 707 tanker while stating that brilliance prevented reliable visual sizing.
THE VISUAL SIZE OF THE OBJECT WAS DIFFICULT TO DISCERN BECAUSE OF ITS INTENSE BRILLIANCE.
The report describes rapidly flashing blue, green, red, and orange lights arranged in a rectangular pattern.
FLASHING STROBE LIGHTS ARRANGED IN A RECTANGULAR PATTERN AND ALTERNATING BLUE, GREEN, RED AND ORANGE IN COLOR.
The report says a smaller bright object approached the second F-4 and that its weapons panel and communications failed when the pilot tried to fire an AIM-9.
THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO FIRE AN AIM-9 MISSILE AT THE OBJECT BUT AT THAT INSTANT HIS WEAPONS CONTROL PANEL WENT OFF
The report says another object appeared to descend and land gently, illuminating an area two to three kilometers across.
THIS OBJECT APPEARED TO COME TO REST GENTLY ON THE EARTH AND CAST A VERY BRIGHT LIGHT OVER AN AREA OF ABOUT 2-3 KILOMETERS.
The report describes renewed F-4 interference near Mehrabad and communications failure reported by a civilian airliner in the same vicinity that did not report a sighting.
THE ONE CIVIL AIRLINER THAT WAS APPROACHING MEHRABAD DURING THIS SAME TIME EXPERIENCED COMMUNICATIONS FAILURE IN THE SAME VICINITY
The report says the crew saw a cylinder-shaped object with lights during final approach, and the tower subsequently saw it after receiving directions.
WHILE THE F-4 WAS ON A LONG FINAL APPROACH THE CREW NOTICED ANOTHER CYLINDER SHAPED OBJECT
The report says daylight inspection found nothing at the suspected dry-lake landing site, but a beeper signal led to residents reporting a loud noise and bright light.
NOTHING WAS NOTICED AT THE SPOT WHERE THEY THOUGHT THE OBJECT LANDED (A DRY LAKE BED)
The message records planned or ongoing checks of the aircraft and suspected landing area for radiation, with further information to follow.
THE AIRCRAFT AND AREA WHERE THE OBJECT IS BELIEVED TO HAVE LANDED ARE BEING CHECKED FOR POSSIBLE RADIATION.
Chronology extracted from the document text.
Joint Chiefs message routed
The routing header bears September 23 and distributes the report to intelligence agencies, the White House, and military commands.
Defense attaché report dated
The message header dates the underlying report September 22 and names Colonel Frank B. McKenzie of the defense attaché office.
Sightings and attempted intercepts reported
The message dates the reported Tehran encounter to September 19; subsequent pages describe two F-4 launches and equipment failures.
Referenced In Coverage
Investigative posts, source items, and other coverage that currently cite this document.
Probed ingest of: "From Deep Space" New Iran UFO Incident No One Can Explain | Darcy Weir
Danny Jones interviews filmmaker Darcy Weir about recent Iran UFO footage, the 1976 Tehran encounter, and the evidence behind secret space narratives. Their discussion ranges from Gary McKinnon and Pascagoula to shuttle imagery, Corey Goode, Nazca remains, and Chris Bledsoe. Weir’s documentary arguments and Jones’s firsthand observations are distinguished from embedded interviews and secondhand accounts, with the relevant military, scientific, and legal records providing context.