Early years (1969–1980) Mohammad Ali Taghizadeh Farahmand established the club in 1969. They entered the
Takht Jamshid Cup in 1973 and end season in the 10th place. They promoted to the quarterfinals of the
Hazfi Cup in 1976. Their best results in Takht Jamshid Cup was earned in 1977–78 in the 8th place.
Azadegan League (1980–2001) The team has participated in the highest division of the Iranian league system since 1973, except for the 1995 season when they played in the 2nd division. After
Iranian Revolution in 1979, Takht Jamshid Cup was suspended due to
Iran–Iraq War. After the end of the war, league began again in the title of
Azadegan League. They were once again promoted to the 1st division the year after.
PGPL (2001–present) Zob Ahan currently play in the
IPL starting from 2001. The club's first honor, remains the winning of the
Hazfi Cup in 2003, after defeating the
Shiraz-based team
Moghavemat Sepasi in the finals. This feat was repeated in the
2008–09 Hazfi Cup, when the club beat
Rah Ahan to re-claim the title after 6 years.
2010 AFC Champion League In the
2010 AFC Champions League Zob Ahan finished first on the group stage that included
FC Bunyodkor,
Al-Wahda and
Al-Ittihad. By finishing first they qualified for the first time for the Knockout stages. On the Round of 16 they draw country neighbours
Mes Kerman winning 1–0. The club then qualified to the quarter-finals and were drawn with title holders
Pohang Steelers, Zob Ahan won 2–1 at home and draw 1–1 on Korea, knocking-out the title holders. Zob Ahan played against Saudi powerhouse
Al Hilal which they won 1–0 at home, and won 1–0 on Saudi Arabia leading the club to an
Asian Champions League final where they face
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. On 13 November, in the final Zob Ahan lost 1–3 to
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. Zob Ahan couldn't be the champions on their 2nd
Asian Champions League participation always being under-dogs. The following year the club made it to the quarter-finals but lost to Korean club
Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
Dark years After the 2011 Champions League, a 6th place league finish in 2012 meant that the club failed to retain its spot in the Champions League. The following year, the club finished 14th in the league, narrowly avoiding relegation through a play-off. Fan attendance started to dip and Zob Ahan had another sub par year in the
2013–14 Iran Pro League season, finishing 13th, changing three managers during the course of the season and again narrowly avoiding relegation.
Resurrection under Golmohammadi and Hosseini title in 2015 In the summer of 2014 Zob Ahan announced
Yahya Golmohammadi as the club's new manager. After a poor start to the season, Zob Ahan when on a six match unbeaten run which placed them 6th in week 23. On 5 December 2015 Zob Ahan defeated
Persepolis 2–1 in the
Hazfi Cup semi-final to advance to the final for the fourth time in club history. On 15 May 2015 after a 0–0 draw against
Padideh, Zob Ahan finished fourth and returned to the
AFC Champions League after five years. Zob Ahan also won their third
Hazfi Cup title after defeating
Naft Tehran 3–1 in the final. On 23 February 2016 Zob Ahan won its first match
AFC Champions League since 2011, defeating
Lekhwiya of Qatar 1–0. Zob Ahan qualified for the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League on 20 April 2016 after defeating Saudi club
Al Nassr 3–0 in match day 5. However, Zob Ahan were defeated 3–1 on aggregate by Emirati club
Al Ain in the Round of 16. Zob Ahan once again qualified for the final of the 2016
Hazfi Cup to defend their crown against
Esteghlal. Zob Ahan defeated Esteghlal in penalties and won the Hazfi Cup for the fourth time in the club's history. Zob Ahan won the
Iranian Super Cup after beating
Esteghlal Khuzestan 4–2 in extra time. This was the first trophy that Zob Ahan won in
Foolad Shahr Stadium. In the beginning of the 2016–17, after poor results, Golmohammadi was fired as manager of the team and was replaced by Assistant coach
Mojtaba Hosseini. Hosseini led Zob Ahan to the semi-finals of the
Hazfi Cup, where they lost to
Tractor. ==Colours and crest==