On September 19, 1976, two Imperial Iranian Air Force F-4 Phantom jets scrambled to intercept a luminous object over Tehran. Both aircraft suffered complete electronics and weapons failures at close range; a declassified Defense Intelligence Agency cable rated it an 'outstanding' case and circulated findings to the White House, Joint Chiefs, NSA, and CIA.

Major Parviz Jafari acquired radar lock at 27 nautical miles. When he attempted to fire an AIM-9 Sidewinder, the fire-control panel went dark and the ejection seat circuit tripped, all restored the moment his jet turned away. A smaller object separated from the main craft and followed both F-4s toward their base. The NSA also holds a declassified cable on the incident.