What my father and saw that night was never repeated or discussed.  I am hoping, after all these years, that someone has also seen an event like this.  I certainly have never written it out or publicized this either

Sounds like aircraft spotlights; maybe helicopters on border patrol. Iran had an airforce since 1955.

By the way, there were much more satellites than just Sputnik up by 1965…

Yeah, Sputnik was in 1957.  Satellites and manned craft were becoming fairly commonplace by 1965, though these were most likely aircraft.  Probably fighters (F-5A Freedom Fighters ?) or helicopters due to the apparent speed and manuevering.  Possibly either skirmishing or practicing.

There was nothing of this nature in the area.  Nor could we hear any sounds.  Even today aircraft does not move the way these were moving or as fast.  It was more like the speed of a shooting marble when you’re playing that game, to give you an idea of the movement.  they moved with extreme speed, no sound.  The lights were not ‘streams’ the way headlights are.  They were contained into themselves.  This area of Iran was basically not occupied either.  The sky was extremely clear.  There was nothing else surrounding the lights as would be seen if they were crafts of any kind.  As I said, with search lights and headlights etc. there is a kind of stream behind or in front of them.  THese had nothing like that.

Explain how you knew that there was nothing of that nature in the area.  Did the Iranian airforce file flight plans with you?  Also, a jet 10 miles away can’t be heard unless he’s flying at supersonic speeds. 

I work 5 miles south of an international airport, one of the biggest in the world.  Flight lights, even ground lights, don’t show a ‘stream’ in front of them from any decent distance.  I see them ever night when I go home and you can only see the beam when they’re within a couple of miles unless conditions are foggy or they’re high enough to be at cloud level.  You said the night was clear, ergo no beam.

I’ve watched fighter jets in mock combat during airshows.  Jets move fast, very, very fast.  Have you ever had a jet sneak up on you?  It’s scary.  That’s kind of the point.

An unoccupied area you say?  What better place to practice flight maneuvers.

Sorry, this just isn’t a mystery.

My father worked for the US Government there.  He took my brother, sister and me with him once (we were not supposed to be there).  At this time there was no technology ...everyone was on foot.  These lights came over a residential area ... they were very close and then suddenly very far away.  I wish I could describe all this better so that you could ‘see’ and I don’t think I’m doing a very good job.  Because of the nature of my father’s work, we were often on military bases in other countries and because of his security and ours, we were not only priviliged to see but also ride and fly in the kinds of crafts you’re talking about.  I was keenly familiar with them. 

What we saw was a very and extensive far cry from what our military and surrounding military had at that time.  THe movement, lack of sound (not even a swoosh) was beyond anything we had ever seen, heard or experienced.

I should probably add, though no woman wishes to reveal this, I was nearly 20 years old at the time….I was not a child

hulitoons - 26 January 2006 11:49 PM

My father worked for the US Government there.

Herding sheep?

None of us can really say what the lights were, Hulitoons, since we weren’t there to see them.  But there are a number things that they could have been.  As far as natural causes, strange electical discharges can happen in the air, with bright glowing balls of light zipping around randomly.  Or it could have been something man-made, such as rockets, flares, or helicopters, or even a combination of these.  Searchlights would have a similar effect, if they were passing up through clear sky and then hitting a cloud layer.  None of these causes would necessarily have left a trail or made sounds audible to you.

You said that sometimes the lights would stop or hold position:  this would argue against a jet if the light really was holding position.  But can you be certain that it wasn’t a jet heading directly away from you so that it only looked from your perspective as though it was holding still?

And don’t forget that the Soviets could very well have been out playing with some of their toys.

I wonder now, and thank all of you for giving different perspectives, if Russia, being so very close, could have been the sender.  Yet, by pondering this idea, I am also confused as to why they would not have overwhelmed all of us by now through this technology. 

I can tell you with certainty that these did not play as ground lights such as search lights.  These I’ve seen on too many occassions under various weather conditions and from many perspectives. 

Since the lights never seem obstructed from view when traveling away at speeds that I still find impossible to comprehend, I would also have to say they could not have been from a jet either which would have made sound as well. 

From a distant perspective, these lights would suddenly come forward and be huge, then suddenly go right, then down, left, forward, backward, then change yet to another direction and the speeds varied as well yet faster than anything I had ever seen before.  I could not even begin to guess at the speed they traveled except this way, from the closest point to us and when they would suddenly dart backwards would have been equivalent to a jet from that position to the next flying at 30 times their normal speed. 

I also remember my father say ‘that’s incredible’  ‘can you believe that?’ etc.  and I also remember saying to him ‘shouldn’t we tell someone’ and his reply ‘who would you tell that would believe you’.  I wonder if, because of the nature of his work there if it was better that he did not make such a weird report…OR on the other hand, if this was also something he already knew about….?  If either of these was true, perhaps that’s why he didn’t say much.  On the hand, maybe he did report or ask about it and I never knew that either. 

I wish he had been a shepherd….all of us would have been a lot happier….and probably a lot safer.

hulitoons - 27 January 2006 05:26 AM

I wonder now, and thank all of you for giving different perspectives, if Russia, being so very close, could have been the sender.  Yet, by pondering this idea, I am also confused as to why they would not have overwhelmed all of us by now through this technology.

That is assuming that it was something which could overwhelm the rest of us.  For all we know, the reason it was going in all sorts of strange directions was because it was out of control and shortly thereafter crashed or blew up or something.  Or it could have been something which does nothing more than make pretty lights.

Actually, now that I think on it, this wouldn’t have been too far from where the Soviets had a lot of their rocket and space research facilities.