In blistering temperatures at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, the heat was firmly on Wales.
But the oven of Qatar proved too hot. Wales' sloppiness and lack of cutting edge was ruthlessly exposed. The big guns failed to deliver when it mattered most.
Gareth Bale represented his country for the 110th time, taking him beyond Chris Gunter's record as the most-capped men's Welsh footballer of all time.
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The ultimate ambassador for the nation, Bale showed his human side by fist-bumping each and every one of the mascots as he exited the tunnel to lead Wales out for what most had billed as a must-win fixture.
But the 33-year-old was helpless as his side failed to click in attack. Aaron Ramsey, again, alarmingly disappointing on the ball and so unusually subdued. Even Wayne Hennessey, flawless until his red card for clattering Mehdi Taremi, will be unable to escape the headlines.
Few could begrudge Iran their place in the spotlight, and it didn't always appear destined to go this way. Neco Williams fired over from just outside the box in the second minute, and it typified what was a free-flowing and wide-open start. Iran looked to get in behind the Welsh defence with balls over the top, but the likes of Joe Rodon and Chris Mepham dealt well with that threat time and time again.
Iran were asking questions though, and they too had significantly improved following their passive showing against England. The returning Sardar Azmoun was unable to trouble Hennessey with a tame shot, but the positive play lifted the spirits of the fervent Iranian supporters.
But Wales created the best opening of the contest in the 12th minute as Connor Roberts picked out Kieffer Moore whose poked effort was palmed away by Hossein Hosseini from point-blank range.
The booms of the Icelandic claps from the Iran supporters typified what had been a frantic start, and those roars hit peak levels as Iran thought they had taken the lead.
A suicidal pass from Connor Roberts gifted Iran possession, and they ruthlessly cut through Wales before Ali Gholizadeh tapped home, although the effort was disallowed for offside following a refreshingly swift VAR check.
Cue pandemonium among the large cluster of Wales supporters who, despite being kitted out with bucket hats, continued to use their arms to block out the sunlight from their eyeline to improve their view of the action. It was Switzerland at Euro 2020 all over again, they had been rescued. But their fortune was not going to last forever.
Rodon was proving to be Wales' very own firefighter, relentlessly intervening to keep Hennessey out of trouble as those in red finally started to play with confidence following a good spell of possession further up the pitch.
The chances weren't coming, but there was at least a form of control. Faint renditions of Yma o Hyd and Don't Take Me Home were just about heard as an undertone to the relentless drum bashing and horn blowing of the Iranians.
Zombie Nation greeted the returning Wales players to the pitch for the second half after Joe Allen had undergone an intense warm-up at the interval, but the Welsh were rapidly running out of water to put out the fires that were springing up around them.
Azmoun and Gholizadeh both hit the post in the space of 10 seconds following a devastating counter attack in what was a huge let off for Page's side. The manager had to respond.
Daniel James and Brennan Johnson replaced Roberts and Harry Wilson as Wales switched to a back four. But they were struggling, and Iran were buoyant. A cutting edge in the final third was desperately lacking, and those bouncing Iranians leapt higher and higher in the stands as they sensed a scalp was on the cards.
Johnson's pace gave Wales faint hope, and the Red Wall tried desperately hard to make their voices heard as the contest remained on a knife-edge.
Wales needed their star men, but Bale and Ramsey were unable to influence proceedings, and it was fellow Euro 2016 hero Hennessey who produced a stunning stop to deny Saeid Ezatolahi.
Allen was finally summoned. His return was greeted with huge cheers from those Welsh supporters whose nerves were almost shot after their side's messy and careless second-half showing.
Yet another break in play allowed Rob Page the opportunity to dart down the tunnel. The head coach will have been racking his brains in an attempt to find a solution to his side's problems, with the sweat on his glistening forehead more visible than ever.
Just as all hope looked lost, Wales carved out an opening. Moore teed up Ben Davies whose rasping effort was tipped over by Hosseini, and it gave the Red Wall hope. But that evaporated in an instant from yet another counter.
Hennessey charged out of his box and clattered Taremi, earning himself a yellow card. But VAR was once again summoned, and this time, it did not favour Wales. That fortune had finally gone.
Each showing of the incident prompted huge roars from Iran's supporters, and Hennessey was duly dismissed. Ali Jahanbakhsh, not one to miss an opportunity, used the moment to rally his beloved supporters.
Gwlad, gwlad was belted out by the Red Wall who did all they could to show support in extreme adversity. But the melting pot of Doha became too much.
Rouzbeh Cheshmi rifled a stunner beyond substitute Danny Ward in the eighth minute of added time before Ramin Rezaeian chipped the goalkeeper to spark bedlam among the Iranian fans. Wales were simply crestfallen.
Several of those in red plummeted to the floor as swathes of white danced around the black and red bowl of the 40,000-seater stadium. Wales couldn't handle the heat, and their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of a major tournament for the fourth successive time were left hanging by a thread as a result.
The post-match huddle represented more of an immediate post-mortem than a rallying cry, although the bond with the Red Wall remained strong in tough circumstances. Class was shown as Wales supporters applauded the efforts of those who had just dashed their own hopes.
But ultimately, Wales could not produce when it mattered most, and it leaves them needing what would be a seismic shock next week to ensure they are not heading back to their homeland prematurely.
Wales: Hennessey; Mepham, Rodon, B Davies; Roberts (Johnson 57), Ampadu (Allen 76), Ramsey (Ward 87), Wilson (James 57), N Williams; Bale (C), Moore.
Subs not used: A Davies, Gunter, Morrell, Locyker, J Williams, Harris, Thomas, Levitt, Cabango, Colwill, Smith.
Yellow card: Rodon 45+2
Red card: Hennessey 86
Iran: Hosseini; Ramin, Pouraliganji, Majid, Mohammadi; Gholizadeh (Jahanbakhsh 76), Ahmad (Cheshmi 88), Ezatolahi (Karimi 83), Hajisafi (C) (Torabi 76); Azmoun (Ansarifard 68), Taremi.
Subs not used: Beiranvand, Niazmand, Abedzadeh, Moharrami, Khalilzadeh, Amiri, Kanani, Ghoddos, Jalali.
Yellow cards: Rezaeian 90+2, Jahanbakhsh 90+4
Goals: Cheshmi 90+8, Rezaeian 90+11
Attendance: 40,875
Referee: Mario Escobar
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