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On May 22, the US government released 64 additional files related to UFO/UAP’s, fulfilling a request from Donald Trump. The files include grainy videos, citizen reports, and one notable instance of an experience from an intelligence officer that left him « virtually speechless. » The files, which US President Donald Trump ordered to be declassified via an executive order earlier in 2025, were posted to the Pentagon’s UFO-specific site. In total, the second tranche of files includes six PDF reports, seven audio files, and 51 video files, none of which supply conclusive proof of UFOs or official analyses. The videos show footage taken from military aircraft or naval vessels, with each clip having a detailed description attached.

The release comes just two weeks after the Pentagon released the first tranche of documents, photos, and videos to its purpose-built UFP website. That first tranche also included PDF reports and military videos, but also strange encounters from military pilots, and even photos from NASA missions. The Pentagon made sure to state that “Readers should not interpret any part of this description as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event’s validity, nature, or significance.”

Details of the files

All 51 videos released include the kind of grainy, difficult-to-read video captured by military sensors and cameras. The familiar footage has become a common sight, and has led some people to question the validity of the videos. In the description accompanying the videos, the Pentagon noted that the footage was requested by House lawmakers in March. The descriptions also note when and where the videos were taken. All videos were found by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). The Pentagon also noted that « [m]any of these materials lack a substantiated chain-of-custody, » meaning their validity could not be properly confirmed.

One video that has gained traction online appears to show a US fighter jet shooting down a UAP over Lake Huron. Dated to 2023, the video shows a balloon-shaped object exploding after being shot with a rocket. The incident came shortly after a Chinese spy balloon traversed the US, sparking worry within the Pentagon. Early reports claim the balloon pictured in the video was most likely being controlled by hobbyists. A video from 2022, which does not have a location listed, shows multiple spherical objects going in and out of the water near a submarine. Many of the videos released are location-tagged to the Persian Gulf between 2018 and 2023. Many of the descriptions theorize that the UAP’s are Iranian.

Intelligence officer shaken

The most interesting file released in this second tranche is a PDF report from an active ‘senior intelligence officer’. The account reports that the officer and his crew had a ‘series of close-up UAP encounters lasting more than an hour’. According to the report, the officer and his crew were aboard a military helicopter in 2025, investigating a UAP report when they experienced the encounters. The intelligence officer claimed that he and his crew spotted ‘countless’ orange orbs floating before they faded into the sky. According to the intelligence officer, two orbs appeared close to their helicopter, emitting a strong orange light.

« In the distance, we saw countless orange orbs swarming in all directions against the backdrop of the mountain. The display lasted several minutes before fading, [T]he pilots and I (using the naked eye) observed two large orbs flare up side by side, close to the helicopter — stationary and just above the rotor disk to our right. They were oval-shaped, orange with a white or yellow center, and emitted light in all directions. »

According to his account, the officer and his crew were left ‘utterly speechless’ at the display.

Interesting audio files

There were also interesting historical audio files released on May 22, declassified from NASA’s files. The audio files include clips from Apollo and Mercury missions, detailing strange encounters from astronauts. One audio clip described ‘snowflake’-like objects floating near the spacecraft. One astronaut described them as ‘fireflies’. Later analyses from NASA confirmed that the sightings were almost certainly frozen condensation separating from the spacecraft body. According to the Pentagon, “The white, green-hued appearance of this phenomenon results from sunlight reflecting off frozen condensation. » While the sighting was certainly scientific in nature, space enthusiasts have been enjoying the inside look into some of NASA’s historical missions.

Just a distraction?

Critics and foreign policy experts have cast doubt on the motivations behind Trump’s declassification of these files. While not a single one of the files does anything close to confirming the presence of aliens, the files have dominated the media since they were released. Advertised as ‘UFO files’, most of the files are not related to potential extra-terrestrial life, and are instead simply potential aircraft and drones from America’s foreign rivals. It’s clear that the Pentagon is concerned about Iranian advancements in drone technology, and after China was found to have released a spy balloon over the United States, the Pentagon is not trying to prove that aliens exist, these files are simply military intelligence.  

The Pentagon released are available to the public on the U.S. Department of War’s website.

The US military has launched a series of strikes on Iran, near the Strait of Hormuz, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM). The strikes come as Iranian officials travel to Qatar in hopes of negotiating a ceasefire with the US and Israel. CENTCOM claimed the strikes were ‘defensive’ and that the bombs were dropped to protect US forces from Iranian soldiers. It appears the US has fully dedicated itself to Israel’s strategy of ‘forward defence’, a strategy that justifies the use of violence before an attack has actually happened. ‘Forward defence’ is a term coined by the Israeli military, and is used to reframe the language used for what legal experts call ‘illegal and unprovoked attacks’. By definition, ‘defence’ must come after an attack, not before.

The US military refused to reveal where the attacks struck, but the Iranian military confirmed explosions in Bandar Abbas, some 70km (42 miles) from the Strait of Hormuz, in southern Iran. These latest attacks come as the temporary ceasefire mediated by Pakistan remains intact. The ceasefire has been in place since April 8, but the US has continued striking Iran intermittently, even with the armistice in effect. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released a statement on May 26 claiming that it had shot down a US drone that entered Iranian airspace, and also fired on an American F-15 that conducted flyovers over Iran.

“To say that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues under discussion would be correct. However, to say that this means an agreement is on the verge of being signed is not something anyone can claim,”

-Esmail Baghaei

According to sources in Iran, several IRGC soldiers were killed in the attack on Bandar Abbas. Iran’s foreign ministry claimed on May 25 that Tehran and Washington are making progress in ceasefire negotiations, but the ongoing strikes have cast doubt on the timeline of a permanent ceasefire. The escalating tensions over the last few days have come right after Trump said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was “largely negotiated” with Iran. Israel and the US’s war on Iran has tanked global markets and sent oil prices soaring.

US claims attacks will continue

While Iran has not confirmed the extent of the attacks, multiple US military personnel have confirmed that they happened and will continue to do so. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is currently in India, said US targets include boats attempting to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as Iranian missile launch sites. Washington has repeatedly accused Iran of laying sea mines near the Strait of Hormuz, the thin channel which normally transports nearly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas. Iran’s closure of the Strait is the largest factor impacting global oil prices and has exacerbated multiple energy crises around the world.

Rubio also made it clear that America’s goal is to open the Strait of Hormuz, claiming that regardless of Iran’s convictions, the Strait would be opened ‘one way or another’. US President Donald Trump made multiple posts on Truth Social pertaining to the attacks and ceasefires, claiming that negotiations were going ‘nicely’ but attacks would continue if talks with Iran began to stall. Trump’s post seemingly referenced the popular US game show Deal or No Deal, with strange capitalization.

“It will only be a Great Deal for all, or no Deal at all”

Another broken ceasefire

The US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire mediated by Pakistan on April 8, but peace has been nowhere to be found for Iranian residents. Negotiations and de-escalation are both underway, but in the meantime, Iran is being consistently attacked by the US. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who helped mediate the ceasefire, is currently in China, meeting with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. The US has been pushing China for weeks to take action in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but after China balked, Donald Trump insulted the country, implying Jinping’s government is weak, and claiming that the US doesn’t need China’s help anyway.

Are peace talks stalling?

It’s unclear how these latest attacks have affected the timeline of peace negotiations, but the trend of US and Iranian retaliations has not stopped since April 8. With recent reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is injured and in hiding, it appears as though Iran’s senior leadership has experienced serious communication breakdowns. According to US officials, Iranian negotiators attempting to communicate with the Trump administration have struggled to relay information through Iran’s fractured command structure, contributing to delays in ceasefire and nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Donald Trump is still insisting that Iran ships out its refined uranium, and Iran has made it clear it is unwilling to do so.