The eleven players stood straight, impassive and neutral-faced as their anthem blared through the Khalifa International Stadium.
Iran has been engulfed in a wave of protests since the death on September 16 of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman detained for violating a strict dress code that requires women to wear the headscarf in public.
The Iranian team itself had already refused to sing the anthem during the run-up to a preparation friendly in Austria against Senegal (1-1) on September 27.
Then dressed in a black jacket that hid the national emblem, the players remained silent, most of them with their heads bowed.
athletes protest
Several athletes from other disciplines also chose not to sing the anthem, not celebrate victories or wear a black armband during sporting events.
On November 6, during an international beach soccer tournament in Dubai, one of the most prestigious in the discipline, the Iranian team also made a similar gesture, forcing state television to cut off the live broadcast.