Sardar Azmoun scored Iran’s first goal in the 20th minute at the Dolon Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Mehdi Taremi scored twice in the 21st and 28th minutes and Alireza Jahanbakhsh made scoreboard 4-0 in the 45th minute.
Taremi scored his third goal in the 51st minute to complete his hat-trick.
Afghanistan player Farshad Noor pulled a goal back with a long-range shoot in the 57th minute.
Reza Asadi scored Team Melli’s sixth goal in the 67th minute.
Amir Ghalenoei’s team will play host Kyrgyzstan on Friday.
Group A consists of host Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Oman.
Except for Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, the remaining teams are part of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 cast.
The respective group winners will face off in the final while the runners-up will play for third place, with both matches scheduled for June 20.