The contest in Qatar between the two nations, which severed diplomatic ties more than 40 years ago, took place under increased security to prevent a flare-up over the antigovernment protests across Iran since the death in custody of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16.

Qatar, which has strong ties with Washington and friendly relations with Tehran, has staked its reputation on delivering a smooth World Cup, beefing up security at Iran games and banning some items deemed inflammatory, such as Iran's pre-1979 Islamic revolution flag.

US-Iranian tensions have worsened since 2018 when then-president Donald Trump abandoned an international nuclear deal with Iran. Attempts by President Joe Biden's administration to revive the 2015 accord have stalled.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking in Romania, played down any link between the match and political tensions and said he hoped the game would "speak for itself", adding that he would be watching and cheering on his country.

In sporting terms, the 1-0 win for the United States after a first half goal by Christian Pulisic means it progresses to the knockout stage, while Iran is out of the competition.

Despite qualification out of Group B being on the line and the geopolitical background, the match was mostly cleanly played with no hard fouls or altercations between the players. When the nations last played in the 1998 World Cup, Iran won 2-1.

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