Iran forward Karim Ansarifard refused on Friday to reply to a question about the demonstrations that have gripped his country and accused journalists of twisting the words of the team's captain a day earlier.

Captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh said Thursday it was a "personal" choice for players how they celebrate goals at the World Cup, and insisted his teammates were focusing on the competition and not the anti-government protests at home.

Some Iranian athletes have celebrated their performances with gestures of support for the demonstrators.

In response to a question about how the team viewed the demonstrations, Ansarifard said on Friday: "I support Alireza Jahanbakhsh because yesterday he was the asked the same question but you wrote whatever you wanted despite his reply.

"We say one thing and you write something else and it is interpreted another way. So if I say something today, it will be re-written another way."

Iran play their first match of this World Cup against England on Monday.

"As we have always said, we are a team and our main quality is our strength and being united," Ansarifard said.

"The players and myself will always try to defend each other and always say the truth."

Iran has been rocked by protests since September that were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was arrested for allegedly flouting the strict dress code for women.

The protests have been met by a harsh crackdown, with Oslo-based monitor Iran Human Rights saying 342 people, including 43 children, have so far been killed by security forces.