Mehran Ahmadi put the visiting team in a lead in the 54th minute with a left-footed strike but his goal was canceled out by Saeb Mohebi in the 72nd minute.
Star-studded Esteghlal sits eighth in the IPL table with six points out of five matches.
Tractor remained top of the table with eight points, followed by Gol Gohar and Persepolis.
Friday’s fixtures:
*Shams Azar 1-1 Esteghlal
*Gol Gohar 0-0 Foolad
*Kheybar 0-1 Sepahan
*Zob Ahan 0-1 Aluminum
*Esteghlal Khuzestan 2-0 Mes