Roohollah Arab netted the crucial goal after 12 minutes at Takhti Abadan Stadium to nick the points for the hosts.
Defending champions Sepahan were held to a goalless draw by Malavan at the Foolad Shahr, while Saba Battery edged out Perspolis 2-1. Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh gave Saba the lead after 13 minutes and although Mohammad Nouri levelled in the 29th minute, Mohsen Bayatiniya grabbed what proved to be the winner for the hosts three minutes later.
Elsewhere, Shahin won 1-0 at Peykan thanks to Sattar Zare's last-minute goal while Naft Tehran beat Shahrdari Tabriz 3-1 and Teraktor Sazi overcame Rah Ahan by the same score.