UFO Or Secret Weapon? Mysterious Lights Over Tehran Spark Wild Theories

Iran’s night skies have been filled with missiles, drones and other weapons amid the ongoing West Asia conflict. But since September 20, mysterious multi-coloured lights seen over Tehran have triggered a fresh online debate over whether they were a drone, military aircraft, illuminated kite or UFO.

The timing has added to the intrigue. The footage emerged almost 50 years after a documented aerial incident over Tehran on September 19, 1976, when locals reported seeing a bright unidentified object in the sky.

On September 20 and 21, videos circulated online showing a strange cluster of lights moving across Tehran’s skies. One video, recorded by a witness on the Azadegan Highway around 7.30 pm local time on Sunday, appeared to show a large, crescent-shaped craft illuminated by multi-coloured lights.

More videos subsequently emerged, with people claiming to have seen the same mysterious object. On September 21, strange lights were also spotted streaking across the skies in Iran’s Zahedan, although the visuals looked significantly different from those recorded in Tehran.

Several theories have since emerged online. Some social media users suggested the lights could have come from an illuminated kite or another recreational object. Modern LED-equipped kites can produce changing or coloured lights that appear unusual when filmed from a distance.

Others argued that the lights belonged to a drone or military aircraft. “It could be drones flying in formation,” one user wrote on X. The theory gained attention because of the ongoing US-Iran war, with tensions escalating over the weekend and Tehran reportedly issuing a Code 100.

Another X user cited US President Donald Trump’s claim from weeks earlier that the US has “weapons that nobody has ever seen before”, arguing that some such capabilities are known only to a select few inside the US government.

A third theory was more extraordinary, with some users suggesting the lights were a UFO. “This was seen in the sky over Iran tonight. What the hell is it? Are we looking at a UFO?” one user wrote.

Despite the speculation, Iranian authorities and the military have remained silent on the sightings.

The mystery has also revived memories of the famous 1976 Tehran incident. On September 19 that year, locals reported a bright unidentified object, prompting Iranian authorities to scramble two F-4 Phantom fighter jets.