UFO or drone? Strange object lights up Tehran sky 50 years after famous sighting

Videos circulating on social media appear to show a brightly lit object hovering or moving slowly over Tehran. The footage has triggered a familiar question: UFO, drone, aircraft — or something far less mysterious? For now, there is no clear answer.Videos circulating on social media appear to show a brightly lit object hovering or moving slowly over Tehran.Tehran is once again looking up at a mysterious object in the night sky — almost 50 years after the Iranian capital became the centre of one of the world's most talked-about UFO sightings.Videos circulating on social media appear to show a brightly lit object hovering or moving slowly over Tehran.The footage has triggered a familiar question: UFO, drone, aircraft — or something far less mysterious? For now, there is no clear answer.Iranian authorities have not publicly identified what was captured in the videos. TEHRAN'S 1976 UFO MYSTERYThe timing has added another layer to the intrigue. The new footage appeared almost 50 years after a documented aerial incident over Tehran on September 19, 1976.That case began with reports from residents in the Shemiran area who said they had seen a strange, bright object in the sky. A declassified US government report later recorded the account of the Imperial Iranian Air Force and the response by two F-4 Phantom fighter jets.According to the report, the first F-4 lost its instrumentation and communications as it approached the object. The systems reportedly returned after the pilot turned away. A second F-4 was then sent to investigate and acquired the object on radar.The second crew reported another unusual development when a smaller object appeared to separate from the main one. The pilot attempted to engage it, but the aircraft's weapons-control system and communications reportedly failed at that moment.The 1976 encounter was subsequently documented in US government records and remains one of the better-known historical UFO cases involving military aircraft.SOCIAL MEDIA THEORIESSome social media users suggested that the lights could be from a military drone or multiple drones flying together, while others speculated that the object could be an aircraft or some form of unidentified aerial phenomenon. None of these theories has been independently confirmed.The footage also prompted a wave of humorous reactions online, with suggestions ranging from Aladdin's flying carpet to Chinese LED lights.“From the colours of this UFO, I think this must be a flying object of a female Alien. Just see, how beautifully she has decorated her interstellar spaceship with amazingly colourful lights,” one person wrote.Another joked, “The aliens are here to broker peace between Trump and Iran.”A third commenter had a more practical question: “Why are aliens using cheap RGB lights?”- EndsPublished By: Karishma Saurabh KalitaPublished On: Sep 22, 2026 09:05 IST