HOMEINCIDENTSSTATE-031
SECRET
STATE-031 · 1976-09-19

Tehran 1976 — Imperial Iranian Air Force F-4 Intercept

State DeptTehran, Iran (airspace north of city)Middle East#1976Diamond~25,000 ft~90 minutes
EVIDENCE GALLERY

Visual reconstruction and recovered media extracted from the incident dossier. This case includes still evidence and analytical reconstruction.

Representative official gallery image traced to an official public-source archive

MEDIA STATUS
Official gallery media is shown as representative archive context for this case.
SOURCE TYPE
Witness testimony, radar language, and dossier reconstruction.
VIEW MODE
Still view highlights silhouette, environment, and encounter geometry.
AT A GLANCE

Two Imperial Iranian Air Force F-4 Phantom jets scrambled to intercept a bright object over Tehran. Both aircraft experienced complete weapons system and communication failures when attempting to engage. The object released a smaller object that pursued one of the F-4s. A DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) report classified the case as an 'outstanding UAP report' and it became one of the most cited US intelligence UAP documents, later released via FOIA.

PRIMARY WITNESSES
Imperial Iranian Air Force F-4 crews; Tehran civilian air traffic controllers; Iranian Imperial Court
EVIDENCE PROFILE
VISUAL RECONSTRUCTIONDIAMOND
FILE ID
STATE-031
DATE
1976-09-19
AGENCY
State Dept
REGION
Middle East
SHAPE
Diamond
ALTITUDE
~25,000 ft
OBSERVED BEHAVIORS
Rapid AccelerationEmitting Sub-ObjectsSensor InterferenceInstant Disappearance
DECLASSIFIED DETAILS

On September 19, 1976, multiple civilian phone calls about a bright object over Tehran prompted the Imperial Iranian Air Force to scramble a F-4 Phantom from Shahrokhi Air Force Base. The first F-4 experienced instrument and communication failures as it approached and turned back. A second F-4 (piloted by Lt. Parviz Jafari) successfully approached the object, which was described as brightly lit with rapidly strobing colors. When Jafari attempted to fire an AIM-9 missile, his weapons control panel went dark and communications failed. A second smaller object separated from the main craft and accelerated directly toward Jafari's aircraft; he dove to evade it. A third smaller object separated from the main craft and descended toward the ground below. A fourth object separated and rejoined the primary craft. The aircraft's weapons and communications were restored when it moved away from the primary object. Tehran civilian ATC observed the event on radar throughout. The crew filed formal reports. The US Defense Intelligence Agency prepared an official evaluation report (IIR 6 846 0979 76) that rated the case as 'outstanding' in credibility and information content, stating it had all the 'interest of an incident from the early days of the UFO era.' The State Department also prepared a report. Both DIA and State Department documents were declassified and released via FOIA, and are preserved at NARA.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS
  • DIA official report rated as 'outstanding' — stated it had all the classic hallmarks of a significant UAP case
  • Both F-4 aircraft experienced complete weapons and communications failures during approach attempts
  • Multiple objects separated from and rejoined the main craft during the encounter
  • Tehran civilian ATC observed the event on radar throughout the ~90-minute incident
  • DIA report (IIR 6 846 0979 76) and State Department report both declassified — available at NARA
  • One of the most cited US intelligence UAP documents in any declassified government archive
ORIGINAL SOURCE

This incident is indexed as file STATE-031inside Now Declassified's research layer. The nearest official source trail for this agency points to NARA RG 615 / State Dept, where archive records, imagery, or supporting context are published for public review.

OPEN OFFICIAL SOURCE CONTEXT →
EVIDENCE STRENGTH
MODERATE
Video Record
0
Still Imagery
0
Witness Credibility
20
Sensor Corroboration
20
Physical Evidence
0
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RESEARCHER DISCUSSION

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