# 2012–13 Persian Gulf Cup

The 2012–13 Persian Gulf Cup (also known as Iran Pro League) was the 30th season of Iran's Football League and 12th as Iran Pro League since its establishment in 2001. Sepahan were the defending champions. The season featured 15 teams from the 2011–12 Persian Gulf Cup and three new teams promoted from the 2011–12 Azadegan League: Paykan as champions, Aluminium Hormozgan and Gahar Zagros. The league started on 19 July 2012 and ended on 10 May 2013. Esteghlal won the Pro League title for the third time in their history (total eighth Iranian title).

## Events
### Competition format

After the 2012–13 Iran Pro League season, it was planned that the number of teams would be reduced from 18 to 16 for the next season, so 4 team was directly relegated to the Azadegan League, while one team was played against the 3rd ranked team from the second division league team in a play-off. 2 teams also are directly promoted from current Azadegan league to the next pro league season and one team played against the 14th placed pro league team in a play-off.

### Rules and regulations

The Iranian Football Clubs who participate in 2012–13 Iran Pro League are allowed to have up to maximum 35 players (including up to maximum 4 non-Iranian players) in their player lists, which will be categorized in the following groups:
* Up to maximum 21 adult (over 23-year-old) players
* Up to maximum 6 under-23 players (i.e. the player whose birth is after 19 July 1989).
* Up to maximum 5 under-21 players (i.e. the player whose birth is after 19 July 1991).
* Up to maximum 3 under-19 players (i.e. the player whose birth is after 19 July 1993).
Based on the fact that the Season is started from 19 July 2012.

## Teams
### Stadia and locations

| Team | City | Venue | Capacity |
| Aluminium | Bandar Abbas | Khalij Fars | 15,459 |
| Damash Gilan | Rasht | Dr. Azodi | 11,000 |
| Esteghlal | Tehran | Azadi | 84,412 |
| Fajr Sepasi | Shiraz | Hafezieh Dastgheib | 14,560 7,000 |
| Foolad | Ahvaz | Ghadir | 50,199 |
| Gahar Zagros | Dorood | Takhti Doorood | 10,052 |
| Malavan | Anzali | Takhti Anzali | 8,000 |
| Mes Kerman | Kerman | Shahid Bahonar | 15,430 |
| Naft Tehran | Tehran | Dastgerdi | 8,250 |
| Paykan | Tehran | Peykanshahr | 30,000 |
| Persepolis | Tehran | Azadi | 84,412 |
| Rah Ahan | Tehran | Rah Ahan | 12,922 |
| Saba Qom | Qom | Yadegar Emam | 10,610 |
| Saipa | Karaj | Enghelab Karaj | 30,000 |
| Sanat Naft | Abadan | Takhti Abadan | 25,256 |
| Sepahan | Esfahan | Foolad Shahr | 31,439 |
| Tractor Sazi | Tabriz | Yadegar-e-Emam | 66,833 |
| Zob Ahan | Esfahan | Foolad Shahr | 31,439 |

### Personnel and kits

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Past Season |
| Aluminium | Parviz Mazloomi | Mahmood Tighnavard | Uhlsport | Parmis | Promoted |
| Damash | Afshin Nazemi (caretaker) | Reza Mahdavi | Uhlsport | Sadra Holding | 7th |
| Esteghlal | Amir Ghalenoei | Farhad Majidi | Uhlsport | Refah Bank | Champion |
| Fajr Sepasi | Mahmoud Yavari | Hossein Kazemi | Majid | HICE | 13th |
| Foolad | Hossein Faraki | Bakhtiar Rahmani | Uhlsport | Foolad Khuzestan | 14th |
| Gahar Zagros | Mohammad Mayeli Kohan | Majid Bajelan | Uhlsport | Mahab Archived 23 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine | Promoted |
| Malavan | Mohammad Ahmadzadeh | Pejman Nouri | Uhlsport | Steel Azin Iranian | 12th |
| Mes Kerman | Luka Bonačić | Farzad Hosseinkhani | Uhlsport | Resalat Bank | 9th |
| Naft Tehran | Mansour Ebrahimzadeh | Hadi Shakouri | Uhlsport | NIOC | 5th |
| Paykan | Firouz Karimi | Reza Tahmasebi | Uhlsport | IKCO Runna | Promoted |
| Persepolis | Yahya Golmohammadi | Mehdi Mahdavikia | Uhlsport | Kavosh | 15th |
| Rah Ahan | Ali Daei | Hossein Pashaei | Daei | Fars Air Qeshm | 11th |
| Saba Qom | Samad Marfavi | Morteza Kashi | Majid | Lojix | 4th |
| Saipa | Mojtaba Taghavi | Ebrahim Sadeghi | Uhlsport | SAIPA | 8th |
| Sanat Naft | Acácio Casimiro | Hossein Kaebi | adidas | Jondi Shapour Co. | 10th |
| Sepahan | Zlatko Kranjčar | Moharram Navidkia | Lotto | Foolad Mobarakeh | 3rd |
| Tractor Sazi | Hassan Azarnia (interim) | Morteza Assadi | Uhlsport | Javanan Khayyer | 2nd |
| Zob Ahan | Farhad Kazemi | Mohammad Salsali | Uhlsport | Esfahan Steel | 6th |

#### Notes

* Esteghlal's captain was Mehdi Rahmati before Farhad Majidi rejoins to the team.
* Reza Haghighi was the captain of Fajr Sepasi until his transfer to the Persepolis.
* From 19 January 2013 to 18 March 2013, Ali Firouzi and from 18 March 2013, Saeed Salamaat were the caretaker head coaches of Sanat Naft due to Casimiro's illness.

## Managerial changes
### Before the start of the season

| Team | Outgoing head coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming head coach | Date of appointment |
| Paykan | Farhad Kazemi | Contract expired | 9 May 2012 | Pre-season | Abdollah Veisi | 1 June 2012 |
| Damash | Mehdi Tartar | End of caretaker spell | 31 May 2012 | Pre-season | Omid Harandi | 1 June 2012 |
| Foolad | Majid Jalali | Contract expired | 31 May 2012 | Pre-season | Hossein Faraki | 1 June 2012 |
| Zob Ahan | Mansour Ebrahimzadeh | Contract expired | 31 May 2012 | Pre-season | Rasoul Korbekandi | 1 June 2012 |
| Saba | Abdollah Veisi | Contract expired | 31 May 2012 | Pre-season | Yahya Golmohammadi | 1 June 2012 |
| Naft Tehran | Hossein Faraki | Signed by Foolad | 31 May 2012 | Pre-season | Mansour Ebrahimzadeh | 1 June 2012 |
| Esteghlal | Parviz Mazloomi | Sacked | 31 May 2012 | Pre-season | Amir Ghalenoei | 1 June 2012 |
| Tractor Sazi | Amir Ghalenoei | Signed by Esteghlal | 31 May 2012 | Pre-season | Toni | 9 June 2012 |
| Gahar Zagros | Davoud Mahabadi | Resigned | 19 June 2012 | Pre-season | Mehdi Tartar | 24 June 2012 |
| Persepolis | Mustafa Denizli | Mutual agreement | 22 June 2012 | Pre-season | Manuel José de Jesus | 3 July 2012 |

### In season

| Team | Outgoing head coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming head coach | Date of appointment |
| Gahar Zagros | Mehdi Tartar | Resigned | 14 September 2012 | 17th | Mohammad Mayeli Kohan | 27 October 2012 |
| Damash | Omid Harandi | Sacked | 16 September 2012 | 11th | Hamid Derakhshan | 18 September 2012 |
| Saba | Yahya Golmohammadi | Resigned | 24 September 2012 | 7th | Samad Marfavi | 25 September 2012 |
| Sanat Naft | José Alberto Costa | Sacked | 27 September 2012 | 17th | Acácio Casimiro | 7 October 2012 |
| Malavan | Farhad Pourgholami | Resigned | 29 September 2012 | 9th | Mohammad Ahmadzadeh | 29 September 2012 |
| Zob Ahan | Rasoul Korbekandi | Sacked | 5 October 2012 | 15th | Farhad Kazemi | 8 October 2012 |
| Persepolis | Manuel José de Jesus | Sacked | 10 December 2012 | 12th | Yahya Golmohammadi | 10 December 2012 |
| Mes Kerman | Ebrahim Ghasempour | Sacked | 1 January 2013 | 8th | Luka Bonačić | 1 January 2013 |
| Paykan | Abdollah Veisi | Sacked | 27 January 2013 | 16th | Firouz Karimi | 27 January 2013 |
| Aluminium | Akbar Misaghian | Sacked | 12 February 2013 | 14th | Parviz Mazloomi | 12 February 2013 |
| Damash | Hamid Derakhshan | Sacked | 3 March 2013 | 13th | Afshin Nazemi | 7 March 2013 |
| Tractor Sazi | Toni | Sacked | 2 May 2013 | 2nd | Majid Jalali | 1 June 2013 |

## Foreign players

| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Asian Player | Former Players |
| Aluminium | Riad Demic | Luiz Fernando | Éamon Zayed | Mohamed Istanbali | Cris Henrique |
| Damash Gilan | Arilson | Boubacar Kébé | | | Ibrahim Maaroufi |
| Esteghlal | Vicente Arze | Jlloyd Samuel | | | Januário Rodrigo Tosi Liam Reddy |
| Fajr Sepasi | Sendley Bito | | | | Diego Máximo Mahmoud Amnah |
| Foolad | Chimba | Juninho | Leandro Padovani | | Claudiu Mircea Ionescu |
| Gahar Zagros | Hamlet Mkhitaryan | Saša Kolunija | | | Grigor Meliksetyan |
| Malavan | Serghei Pașcenco | | | | |
| Mes Kerman | Milan Mijatović | Ivan Petrović | Stevan Bates | | |
| Naft Tehran | Magno | Mario Ramos | Goran Ljubojević | | |
| Paykan | Diego Máximo | Fábio Carvalho | Josieley Ferreira | | |
| Persepolis | Nilson | Vlatko Grozdanoski | Marko Perović | | Roberto Sousa Éamon Zayed Kwon Jun |
| Rah Ahan | Igor Castro | | | | |
| Saba Qom | David Wirikom | | | | |
| Saipa | Júnior | Márcio Alemão | | | |
| Sanat Naft | Valeri Aleksanyan | Fousseyni Sidibé | Hugo Machado | | Diogo Melo Marko Šimić |
| Sepahan | Ervin Bulku | Xhevahir Sukaj | | Milan Susak | Radomir Đalović |
| Tractor Sazi | Agil Etemadi | Flávio Paixão | | | João Vilela |
| Zob Ahan | Gevorg Kasparov | Ismaël Béko Fofana | | | Darko Božović Aco Stojkov Hugo Machado |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Esteghlal (C) | 34 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 42 | 18 | +24 | 67 | Qualification for the 2014 AFC Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Tractor Sazi | 34 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 55 | 32 | +23 | 65 | Qualification for the 2014 AFC Champions League group stage |
| 3 | Sepahan | 34 | 19 | 7 | 8 | 64 | 33 | +31 | 64 | Qualification for the 2014 AFC Champions League group stage |
| 4 | Foolad | 34 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 52 | 35 | +17 | 56 | Qualification for the 2014 AFC Champions League group stage |
| 5 | Naft Tehran | 34 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 42 | 29 | +13 | 55 | |
| 6 | Mes Kerman | 34 | 12 | 15 | 7 | 33 | 26 | +7 | 51 | |
| 7 | Persepolis | 34 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 41 | 31 | +10 | 50 | |
| 8 | Rah Ahan | 34 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 49 | 39 | +10 | 48 | |
| 9 | Saba Qom | 34 | 10 | 15 | 9 | 37 | 33 | +4 | 45 | |
| 10 | Saipa | 34 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 37 | 33 | +4 | 45 | |
| 11 | Damash | 34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 36 | 47 | −11 | 43 | |
| 12 | Fajr Sepasi | 34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 42 | 38 | +4 | 42 | |
| 13 | Malavan | 34 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 34 | 39 | −5 | 40 | |
| 14 | Zob Ahan (O) | 34 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 36 | 40 | −4 | 38 | Qualification to relegation play-offs |
| 15 | Aluminium Hormozgan (R) | 34 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 26 | 42 | −16 | 35 | Relegation to 2013–14 Azadegan League |
| 16 | Sanat Naft (R) | 34 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 31 | 63 | −32 | 25 | Relegation to 2013–14 Azadegan League |
| 17 | Paykan (R) | 34 | 6 | 7 | 21 | 26 | 70 | −44 | 25 | Relegation to 2013–14 Azadegan League |
| 18 | Gahar Zagros (R) | 34 | 3 | 10 | 21 | 24 | 59 | −35 | 19 | Relegation to 2013–14 Azadegan League |

## Results

| Home \ Away | ALH | DMG | EST | FJR | FOL | GZA | MLV | NAF | PAY | PRS | RAH | SAB | SAP | MES | SNA | SEP | TRK | ZOB |
| Aluminium Hormozgan | | 0–0 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 |
| Damash | 1–2 | | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 5–3 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 |
| Esteghlal | 1–0 | 1–2 | | 0–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Fajr Sepasi | 6–0 | 6–1 | 0–5 | | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| Foolad | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | | 4–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 2–1 |
| Gahar Zagros | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 1–0 |
| Malavan | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | | 1–3 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| Naft Tehran | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 3–4 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Paykan | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–5 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–3 | | 1–2 | 2–4 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Persepolis | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 6–0 | | 2–0 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 |
| Rah Ahan | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Saba Qom | 2–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Saipa | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Mes Kerman | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 5–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 |
| Sanat Naft | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–6 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Sepahan | 2–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | | 1–4 | 4–3 |
| Tractor Sazi | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–3 | | 1–1 |
| Zob Ahan | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 6–0 | 0–4 | 3–1 | |

## Positions by round

| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
| Esteghlal | 4 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tractor Sazi | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Sepahan | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Foolad | 8 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Naft Tehran | 9 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Mes Kerman | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Persepolis | 3 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Rah Ahan | 10 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Saba Qom | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Saipa | 11 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Damash | 7 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
| Malavan | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 |
| Fajr Sepasi | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Zob Ahan | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 |
| Aluminium Hormozgan | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
| Sanat Naft | 16 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
| Paykan | 18 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 |
| Gahar Zagros | 14 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
* Leader
* 2014 AFC Champions League
* Relegation to Qualification
* Relegation to 2013–14 Azadegan League

## Clubs season-progress

| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
| Esteghlal | W | L | W | D | D | D | W | W | D | W | W | L | W | W | W | L | L | W | W | D | W | D | D | W | W | W | W | D | W | D | W | D | W | L |
| Tractor Sazi | D | D | W | W | W | L | D | D | W | L | D | W | W | D | L | D | W | D | W | W | W | W | D | D | W | W | W | W | L | L | W | D | W | W |
| Sepahan | W | W | D | W | L | L | W | D | W | W | W | D | L | W | L | W | D | L | L | W | W | W | W | D | W | L | W | W | W | W | W | D | L | D |
| Foolad | D | L | W | D | L | L | D | L | W | W | W | D | W | D | W | W | W | D | W | D | W | D | W | D | W | D | W | L | W | D | D | D | L | D |
| Naft Tehran | D | W | D | W | L | W | W | D | W | D | D | D | L | L | L | D | L | W | D | D | W | W | W | W | D | W | D | L | W | D | L | W | W | D |
| Mes Kerman | L | L | L | D | W | W | L | D | W | D | L | D | W | D | W | W | D | W | D | L | L | D | W | D | D | W | W | D | D | D | W | D | W | W |
| Persepolis | W | L | D | L | L | D | D | D | L | W | D | W | L | W | W | D | L | D | W | W | D | W | D | D | W | W | D | W | L | D | W | D | W | L |
| Rah Ahan | D | W | D | L | D | W | W | L | W | D | W | L | L | D | W | W | W | L | L | L | L | W | L | D | L | W | L | W | W | D | D | L | D | D |
| Saba Qom | W | W | L | W | D | L | D | W | L | D | L | D | W | D | L | L | D | W | D | W | D | D | W | D | D | L | D | D | L | W | D | W | D | L |
| Saipa | D | W | L | W | W | W | L | D | W | L | D | L | W | L | W | D | D | D | L | D | D | L | L | D | D | W | D | L | D | W | W | L | L | W |
| Damash | D | D | W | L | W | L | D | L | L | D | D | D | W | D | W | L | W | D | L | W | D | L | L | L | W | L | D | L | W | W | L | L | W | W |
| Fajr Sepasi | W | W | W | L | D | D | L | W | D | W | D | D | L | W | L | D | L | L | L | D | W | D | W | D | L | L | L | W | L | D | L | D | W | D |
| Malavan | W | D | W | W | D | L | D | D | L | L | W | W | W | W | L | D | W | D | D | L | L | D | L | W | L | D | L | D | D | D | L | D | L | L |
| Zob Ahan | L | L | L | L | L | W | L | W | L | W | D | L | D | D | L | D | L | W | D | D | L | W | D | L | L | L | D | W | D | W | D | D | W | W |
| Aluminium Hormozgan | L | D | D | D | D | L | W | L | D | L | D | W | L | L | W | D | D | L | W | D | L | L | W | D | L | D | D | L | D | L | W | W | L | D |
| Sanat Naft | L | D | L | L | L | W | D | D | D | L | L | D | L | D | L | D | D | D | D | D | L | L | L | D | L | D | L | W | L | L | L | W | L | W |
| Paykan | L | D | L | W | W | W | L | W | L | L | L | D | D | L | W | D | D | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | W | L | L | L | D | L | L | D | L | L |
| Gahar Zagros | L | L | D | L | W | D | D | L | L | D | L | D | L | L | L | L | D | D | W | L | W | L | L | D | L | L | D | L | L | L | L | L | L | L |

## Relegation play-offs

Zob Ahan as 14th-placed team faced play-off winner of 2012–13 Azadegan League, Pas Hamedan in a two-legged play-off.
Zob Ahan won 5–3 on aggregate and retained its Iran Pro League spot for the 2013–14 season.

## Season statistics
### Top goalscorers

| Position | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Jalal Rafkhaei | Malavan | 19 |
| 2 | Mehdi Seyed Salehi | Tractor Sazi | 16 |
| 3 | Mohammad Reza Khalatbari | Sepahan | 14 |
| 3 | Mostafa Shojaei | Mes Kerman | 14 |
| 5 | Chimba | Foolad | 12 |
| 6 | Saeid Daghighi | Saipa | 11 |
| 6 | Reza Enayati | Mes Kerman | 11 |
| 6 | Xhevahir Sukaj | Sepahan | 11 |
| 9 | Arash Borhani | Esteghlal | 10 |
| 9 | Yaghoub Karimi | Naft Tehran | 10 |
| 9 | Flávio Paixão | Tractor Sazi | 10 |
| 12 | Farzad Hatami | Esteghlal | 9 |
| 13 | Karim Ansarifard | Persepolis | 8 |
| 13 | Omid Ebrahimi | Sepahan | 8 |
| 13 | Alireza Jahanbakhsh | Damash | 8 |
| Total goals (Including technical loses) | Total goals (Including technical loses) | Total goals (Including technical loses) | 686 |
| Total games | Total games | Total games | 306 |
| Average per game | Average per game | Average per game | 2.24 |
Last updated: 10 May 2013 Source: IPL Stats

### Clean sheets

| Position | Player | Club | Clean sheets | Goals conceded |
| 1 | Mehdi Rahmati | Esteghlal | 21 | 18 |
| 2 | Rahman Ahmadi | Saipa | 15 | 29 |
| 3 | Nilson Corrêa Júnior | Persepolis | 14 | 21 |
| 4 | Arman Shahdadnejad | Mes Kerman | 13 | 16 |
| 5 | Sosha Makani | Naft Tehran | 11 | 15 |
| 6 | Gevorg Kasparov | Zob Ahan | 8 | 12 |
| 6 | Hamed Lak | Saba Qom | 8 | 23 |
| 8 | Fábio Carvalho | Paykan | 7 | 54 |
| 8 | Shahab Gordan | Sepahan | 7 | 23 |
| 8 | Milan Mijatovic | Mes Kerman | 7 | 5 |
| 8 | Vahid Sheikhveisi | Fajr Sepasi | 7 | 24 |
| 8 | Ershad Yousefi | Foolad | 7 | 22 |
| 13 | Habib Dehghani | Sanat Naft | 6 | 34 |
| 13 | Hamed Fallahzadeh | Naft Tehran | 6 | 12 |
| 13 | Luiz Fernando | Aluminium | 6 | 20 |
| 13 | Mojtaba Roshangar | Aluminium | 6 | 18 |
| 13 | Shahram Mehraban | Gahar | 6 | 43 |
| 13 | Mehdi Sabeti | Tractor Sazi | 6 | 14 |
| 19 | Farshid Karimi | Rah Ahan | 5 | 24 |
| 19 | Milad Farahani | Damash Gilan | 5 | 25 |
| 19 | Mohammad Mohammadi | Rah Ahan | 5 | 9 |
| 19 | Hassan Roudbarian | Damash Gilan | 5 | 22 |
| 23 | Ali Hassani Sefat | Malavan | 4 | 11 |
Last Update: 10 May 2013

### Scoring

* First goal of the season: Mehdi Nazari for Fajr against Zob Ahan (19 July 2012)
* Fastest goal of the season: 12 seconds, Gholamreza Rezaei for Persepolis against Fajr Sepasi (30 December 2012)
* Latest goal of the season: 96 minutes and 12 seconds, Karim Ansarifard for Persepolis against Zob Ahan (19 November 2012)
* Largest winning margin: 6 goals
** Persepolis 6–0 Paykan (31 October 2012)
** Fajr 6–0 Aluminium (1 March 2013)
** Zob Ahan 6–0 Sanat Naft (5 May 2013)
* Highest scoring game: 8 goals
** Damash 5–3 Paykan (31 July 2012)
** Sanat Naft 2–6 Naft Tehran (6 August 2012)
* Most goals scored in a match by a single team: 6 goals
** Sanat Naft 2–6 Naft Tehran (18 August 2012)
** Fajr 6–1 Damash (15 September 2012)
** Persepolis 6–0 Paykan (31 October 2012)
** Fajr 6–0 Aluminium (1 March 2013)
* Most goals scored in a match by a losing team: 3 goals
** Damash 5–3 Paykan (31 July 2012)
** Naft Tehran 3–4 Sepahan (30 October 2012)
** Sepahan 4–3 Zob Ahan (13 January 2013)

### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Jalal Rafkhaei | Malavan | Saba Qom | 3–1 | 30 July 2012 |
| Yaghoub Karimi | Naft Tehran | Sanat Naft | 6–2 | 6 August 2012 |
| Jaber Ansari | Fajr Sepasi | Damash Gilan | 6–1 | 15 September 2012 |
| Karim Ansarifard | Persepolis | Paykan | 6–0 | 31 October 2012 |
| Iman Razaghirad | Saba Qom | Sanat Naft | 3–2 | 24 January 2013 |
| Mostafa Shojaei | Mes | Gahar | 5–1 | 5 May 2013 |

## Awards
### Team of the Season

Goalkeeper: Mehdi Rahmati (Esteghlal) Defence: Mehrdad Jama'ati (Foolad), Pejman Montazeri (Esteghlal), Amir Hossein Sadeghi (Esteghlal), Khosro Heydari (Esteghlal) Midfield: Reza Haghighi (Perspolis), Bakhtiar Rahmani (Foolad), Moharram Navidkia (Sepahan), Yaghoub Karimi (Naft.t) Attack: Jalal Rafkhaei (Malavan), Mohammad Reza Khalatbari (Sepahan)

### Player of the Season

Moharram Navidkia was awarded as the best player of the season among Mehdi Rahmati and Pejman Montazeri became second and third. Saeid Ezzatollahi was also awarded as the best young player of the season and Alireza Jahanbakhsh was ranked second.

### Other awards

Amir Ghalenoei was awarded as the best coach of the season, Zlatko Kranjčar becomes second and Hossein Faraki third. Saeid Mozafarizadeh awarded best referee, Fair Play Award was given to the Fajr Sepasi and Esteghlal was the team of the season. Mehdi Mahdavikia, Ali Parvin, Homayoun Behzadi and Ali Jabari were also awarded for their service to the Iranian football.

## Attendances
### Average home attendances

| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
| 1 | Esteghlal | 548,000 | 100,000 | 0 | 34,250 | +7.8%$^†$ |
| 2 | Tractor Sazi | 409,000 | 50,000 | 2,000 | 24,059 | −39.1%$^†$ |
| 3 | Persepolis | 326,000 | 90,000 | 0 | 21,733 | −23.0%$^†$ |
| 4 | Aluminium Hormozgan | 125,000 | 20,000 | 2,000 | 7,353 | +45.5%$^†$ |
| 5 | Damash | 101,000 | 15,000 | 0 | 6,733 | −17.1%$^†$ |
| 6 | Sanat Naft | 103,000 | 15,000 | 1,000 | 6,059 | −38.3%$^†$ |
| 7 | Malavan | 102,000 | 8,000 | 3,000 | 6,000 | +15.7%$^†$ |
| 8 | Gahar Zagros | 99,000 | 65,000 | 1,000 | 5,824 | −5.4%$^†$ |
| 9 | Foolad | 92,000 | 20,000 | 1,000 | 5,412 | +16.5%$^†$ |
| 10 | Fajr Sepasi | 83,100 | 20,000 | 1,000 | 4,888 | −36.1%$^†$ |
| 11 | Saipa | 80,500 | 40,000 | 1,000 | 4,735 | +117.6%$^†$ |
| 12 | Sepahan | 67,500 | 10,000 | 1,000 | 3,971 | −32.5%$^†$ |
| 13 | Mes Kerman | 65,000 | 15,000 | 1,000 | 3,824 | −35.0%$^†$ |
| 14 | Saba Qom | 46,000 | 10,000 | 1,000 | 2,706 | −24.6%$^†$ |
| 15 | Naft Tehran | 44,000 | 15,000 | 1,000 | 2,588 | +25.7%$^†$ |
| 16 | Paykan | 37,000 | 12,000 | 1,000 | 2,176 | +142.9%$^†$ |
| 17 | Zob Ahan | 36,000 | 8,000 | 1,000 | 2,118 | −25.0%$^†$ |
| 18 | Rah Ahan | 33,000 | 7,000 | 1,000 | 1,942 | −13.1%$^†$ |
| | League total | 2,397,100 | 100,000 | 0 | 7,964 | −16.1%$^†$ |
Updated to games played on 10 May 2013 Source: Iranleague.ir Notes: Matches with spectator bans are not included in average attendances Aluminium Hormozgan, Gahar Zagros and Paykan played last season in Azadegan League

### Highest attendances

| Rank | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Date | Week | Stadium |
| 1 | Esteghlal | 0–0 | Persepolis | 100,000 | 25 January 2013 (2013-01-25) | 23 | Azadi |
| 1 | Esteghlal | 1–2 | Damash | 100,000 | 10 May 2013 (2013-05-10) | 34 | Azadi |
| 3 | Persepolis | 0–0 | Esteghlal | 90,000 | 24 August 2012 (2012-08-24) | 6 | Azadi |
| 4 | Esteghlal | 1–0 | Tractor Sazi | 75,000 | 8 March 2013 (2013-03-08) | 29 | Azadi |
| 5 | Gahar Zagros | 1–1 | Persepolis | 65,000 | 30 July 2012 (2012-07-30) | 3 | Azadi |
| 5 | Persepolis | 0–2 | Saba Qom | 65,000 | 5 August 2012 (2012-08-05) | 4 | Azadi |
| 7 | Esteghlal | 1–1 | Sepahan | 60,000 | 16 April 2013 (2013-04-16) | 30 | Azadi |
| 8 | Esteghlal | 1–0 | Aluminium Hormozgan | 50,000 | 20 July 2012 (2012-07-20) | 1 | Azadi |
| 8 | Tractor Sazi | 2–0 | Esteghlal | 50,000 | 20 October 2012 (2012-10-20) | 12 | Sahand |
| 10 | Saipa | 2–1 | Esteghlal | 40,000 | 25 July 2012 (2012-07-25) | 2 | Azadi |
Notes: Updated to games played on 10 May 2013. Source: Iranleague.ir