1976 Tehran F-4 incident

Case

Overview

Contemporaneous U.S. military report describes Iranian F-4 intercepts and reported instrument interference.

Investigative phases

Iranian air-defense response; U.S. military reporting

Reported phenomena

Bright object; alleged electronics disruption

Public evidence status

Contemporaneous military message released by NSA

Alternative explanations / caveats

Military document reports claims but does not independently establish their cause; astronomical and equipment alternatives need review

Next research tasks

Transcribe original message; identify primary crew interviews and air-defense logs

Last reviewed

2026-10-29

Assessment

Event date

1976-09-19

Source category

Declassified contemporary message

Original data accessibility

Document accessible; raw sensor data absent

Witness / instrument basis

Witness / official reporting

Corroboration limitations

Military document reports claims but does not independently establish their cause; astronomical and equipment alternatives need review

Extraordinary claim assessment

Open / disputed

Current status

Open / disputed

Priority research task

Transcribe original message; identify primary crew interviews and air-defense logs

Lead source ID

SRC-102

Last reviewed

2026-10-29

Evidence (1)

• Primary record / original reporting: 1976 Tehran F-4 incident Claim unverified
  CE-122 · 1976-09-19 · Declassified contemporary message
  Gaps: Military document reports claims but does not independently establish their cause; astronomical and equipment alternatives need review

Documents gathered (1 line of evidence)

1 readable here · 0 with a linked primary record · 0 still need a document · All cases on the evidence map

• Primary record / original reporting: 1976 Tehran F-4 incident Readable here
  CE-122 · Joint Chiefs of Staff report: UFO sighting in Iran 19 September 1976 (read here)

On the timeline (1)

• 1976-09-19 1976 Tehran F-4 incident Disputed
  Open / disputed