Saeid Sadeghi scored twice in the 44th and 71st minutes, giving the team six points at the halfway point of the group stage.
In the opening minutes, Istiklol was awarded a penalty via VAR when Dzenis Beganovic was kicked from behind by Masoud Rigi inside the box. However, Senin Sebai’s penalty was brilliantly saved by captain Alireza Beiranvand, who dived low to his right to push the ball clear.
Next up in Group E, Persepolis will head to Tajikistan to face Istiklol in the reverse meeting on Nov.7.