Iranian Sightings
SEPTEMBER 19, 1976 >> TEHERAN, IRAN

Residents of Teheran reported seeing UFOs at about 12:30 AM. An F-4 was scrambled from the Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) base at Shahroki 130 miles to the soutwest at 1:30 AM.

The US military attache in Iran latter filed a report dealing with the encounter between the F-4 and the UFO. The F-4's communications systems failed when it came within 25 miles of the object. When the fighter turned away the systems were restored. At 1:40 AM a second F-4 took off and its radar showed the UFO to be the size of a Boeing 707. The UFO was visually flashing colored strobe lights in a rectangular pattern.

When the distance between the F-4s and the UFO was 25 miles the object sped away and maintained the distance between them. A second object came from the UFO at high speed toward the F-4. The pilot attempted to fire an AIM-9 missile but his weapon control panel truned off and his radios failed. The second UFO rejoined the first and a samll object streaked from it toward the ground. It lit up the surrounding dry lake bed when it landed. The F-4 descended to observe the area, then flew to the Mehrabad airport. On its landing approach another cylindrical UFO passed over it and was seen by the airport controlers anc a civilian aircraft's communicatons failed. A helicopter searched the dry lakebed the next day and picked up a strong beeping radio signal but found nothing on the ground. It is possible that the object was retrived before dawn by the Iranian government and a false radio beacon was substituted. As this event occured before the fall of the Shah it is possible that this probe is now in the hands of the United States government as part of Operation Moon Dust.

Four hours after the encoutners over Teheran the same UFO was spotted flying parallel to the Atlantic coast over Morocco. For an hour from about 1:00 AM local time a bright UFO trailing sparks flew slowly at an estimated height of 3,300 feet from the south to the north of Morocco. Reports came from Agadir, Kalaa Sraghna, Essaouira, Casablanca, Rabat and Fez. The UFO looked like a disk from a distance and resolved to a cylinder when closer.