An unidentified aerial phenomenon was spotted moving at high altitudes over Tehran and Rasht, capturing the attention of social media users across Iran, Tabnak reported.

The luminous object, seen in various images and videos, has also been reported in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, 700km north of the Iranian capital.

The origin of this bright object remains unknown, and Iranian authorities have yet to comment on the phenomenon. Speculation on social media ranges from meteorites to missile tests. Some users suggest the object could be a pyrotechnic event, such as an exceptionally bright meteorite. In contrast, others propose it might be a fragment of a satellite or spacecraft burning up upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

Local independent Tabnak published videos of the object spotted in Azerbaijan, suggesting that this luminous object is a missile.

The website cited "available records", suggesting this massive rocket belonged to Russia and was either an intercontinental rocket or a spacecraft.

The sighting of luminous objects in Iran's skies is not unprecedented. Just last Friday, social media users shared a video of a projectile ascending in the sky over Shahroud, a city in the central province of Semnan.

An account linked to the IRGC's Space Command in Shahroud posted on X later, stating, "Our message was sent from Shahroud to Tel Aviv."

This led some military analysts to suggest that the projectile might have been a test of the liquid-fuelled Khorramshahr-4 intercontinental ballistic missile.

The escalating tensions between Iran and Israel have fuelled speculations that the mysterious object was a missile strike by Israel following a previous hit on Iranian military targets a few weeks ago. 

Earlier, the Iranian Army had announced the deaths of two of its forces in the Israeli attack, who lost their lives “while confronting the projectiles of the criminal Zionist regime to safeguard the security of Iran and prevent harm to the Iranian nation and interests,” Iran's state Press TV reported. 

Several loud explosions were heard across Tehran and near Karaj early on October 26, waking residents across the Iranian capital region. State media reported that the explosions were causing panic among several communities in the country and expatriates abroad.