Hundreds of luminous objects in the sky of Fardis; IRGC: 'They were balloons'

Following the release of images showing numerous unidentified luminous objects in the sky of Fardis, Alborz province, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed in a statement that these objects were 'lighted balloons.' Citizen reports shared on social media on Tuesday, December 26, show images of hundreds of luminous objects in the sky. In response to this event, the public relations office of the IRGC in Fardis issued a statement claiming that the 'suspicious luminous objects' seen in the early hours of Tuesday evening, which 'provoked speculation,' were related to 'a number of lighted helium balloons' released during 'a celebration of an industrial company in the sky of Fardis.' The IRGC's claim comes amid various speculations on social media regarding the nature of these suspicious objects, with some attributing them to Starlink satellites. The state news agency ISNA also reported that the sighting of these suspicious objects has caused 'concern among citizens.' This statement and the claim of 'an industrial company celebration' occur against the backdrop of an energy crisis, during which electricity has been cut off to several industrial towns and several power plants have gone offline in various provinces. Attributing these unidentified luminous objects to 'lighted helium balloons' is notable, especially considering that Iranian officials previously attributed the source of the serial poisoning of students in schools across Iran to 'stinky bombs,' a claim that was questioned by some observers.