Iran and New Zealand shared the points in a thrilling 2-2 draw in their World Cup opener on Monday, in a match that was at first overshadowed by political debate.
World Cup debutant Elijah Just gave New Zealand an early lead in the seventh minute after being served by captain Chris Wood.
Iranian captain Mehdi Taremi hit the post in the 23rd but his team was level in the 32nd after Ramin Rezaeian collected a loose ball and hit it into the net.
Iran thought they had taken the lead before the break but Ali Nemati's goal was ruled out for offside.
It was New Zealand, however, who were first on target in the second half with Just linking up once more with Wood to complete his brace in the 54th.
But the Iranians didn't waste too much time and equalized again thanks to Mohammad Mohebbi in the 64th.
Both sides kept the pressure up and it was an open game until the last minute, but the teams eventually had to settle for a point each.
New Zealand are competing only in their third World Cup, first one since 2010, and are still seeking a first win in the tournament.
Iran were one of the first teams to qualify for the event in the United States, Mexico and Canada but the nation's conflict with the US and Israel cast doubt over their participation at the tournament
At some point it was even unclear whether Iran would be permitted to play their three group stage matches in the US. Amid ongoing issues over visas and entry to the US, the national team moved their base from Arizona to Mexico to avoid further problems.
The atmosphere was peaceful, but there were some small protests outside the stadium and the Iranian anthem was booed.
New Zealand top Group G standings ahead of Iran but they are both level on one point with Belgium and Egypt, who played out a 1-1 draw earlier.
New Zealand misses chance to make history
"Extremely proud of the players. We've come off a bit disappointed not to win, we were leading twice. It's going to hurt a little bit because we had a chance to make history tonight, but we didn't lose and played really, really well. So I'm proud," New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley said.
His team is the lowest-ranked team at the World Cup but didn't wait around to score their first goal at this year's tournament.
Captain Wood collected a long pass, controlling it beautifully with his chest and beating the defender before passing the ball along. He received it back and served Just, who drilled a shot into the net in the seventh.
Iran's first big chance came in the 23rd, when national team star Taremi took his chance from distance but hit the post.
The equalizer, however, came in the 32nd as Iran became one of the teams who benefited from the hydration game to shift the game's momentum.
Shahriar Moghanloo's shot was blocked but Rezaeian collected the loose ball to fire it into the goal.
New Zealand again got close to their first-ever World Cup win when they retook the lead in the 55th.
Iran lost possession in midfield and after a brilliant team work, the ball found Just. He played a one-two with Wood before crowning his World Cup debut with a second goal.
Iran almost had a quick response after a scramble in the box, but goalkeeper Max Crobombe stood strong to block any threat in the 57th.
But they eventually found the net again. Mohebi found space just in front of the penalty spot and powered a header from Ramin's delivery into the bottom corner.
Despite the result, Just celebrated his two goals.
"It's really, really special. We have a lot of goals and the first one was get on the board. There are a lot of positives. I'm just so happy. One (goal) was nice and two is amazing. We know we have tough opponents so we got a lot of work to do," he said.
