In the match held at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Amir Arsalan Motahhari opened the scoring in the 64th minute with a fine solo effort.
Mehrdad Mohammadi scored eight minutes later as Mohammad Khakpour’s side made the perfect start to its attempt to qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Iran has not appeared at the Olympic Games since 1976, but Khakpour’s side sent out a message of intent with an efficient performance that saw the Iranians on top for much of the 90 minutes.
Iran will face host Qatar on Friday.
A total of 16 teams are battling for the three places available for Asian sides in Rio in Qatar from January 12 to 30 at four venues.