Summary
General Parviz Jafari is a retired general of the Iranian air force that witnessed and chased a UAP in his Phantom F-4 jet over Tehran in 1976 in what is referred to as the 1976 Tehran UFO Incident.
The Sighting
Two Imperial Iranian Air Force F-4 Phantom II jet interceptors reported losing instrumentation and communications as they approached a UAP, with one of the jets also having temporary weapons systems failure.
Major Parviz Jafari was a squadron commander in the Imperial Iranian Air Force. He was joined by First Lieutenant Jalal Damirian as weapons officer, and both were dispatched in a second F-4 Phantom II to attempt to intercept the UAP, whose size was compared to a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Jafari described it as “flashing with intense red, green, orange and blue lights so bright that I was not able to see its body.”
He attempted to fire an infrared guided missile, but claimed his equipment shut down and returned to normal operating systems after his jet moved further away from the UAP. Jafari said he was "startled by a round object which came out of the primary object and started coming straight toward me at a high rate of speed, almost as if it were a missile. …the primary, diamond-shaped thing up there, and another bright object came out of it and headed directly toward the ground …It seemed to slow down and land gently on the ground, radiating a high bright light."
Jafari and his backseat officer flew in a helicopter the next day to investigate where the UAP lights could have hit the ground, but they didn't find any evidence to support their claim. Nearby residents reported a loud noise, and bright lights flashing the night of the incident. An initial report of the incident was relayed to the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff on September 19,1976.
UAP skeptic Phillip Klass believed what they saw was likely something astrological like Jupiter. He attributed the equipment anamolies as pilot incompetence and equipment malfunctions.
Jafari presented his story at a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. on November 12, 2007. The TV show “Sightings” also featured the incident. Jafari has appeared in various documentaries like “The Phenomenon (2020)”, “UFOs Declassified (2015),” and “I Know What I Saw (2009).” His story was also featured in investigative journalist Leslie Kean’s landmark book “ UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials go on the Record.”
After retiring from the military, Jafari went to work in the private sector.
