diff --git a/lib/internal/streams/async_iterator.js b/lib/internal/streams/async_iterator.js
index c4c220a5afe34f..1df891d30c4dc4 100644
--- a/lib/internal/streams/async_iterator.js
+++ b/lib/internal/streams/async_iterator.js
@@ -106,20 +106,18 @@ const ReadableStreamAsyncIteratorPrototype = ObjectSetPrototypeOf({
     }
 
     if (this[kStream].destroyed) {
+      // We need to defer via nextTick because if .destroy(err) is
+      // called, the error will be emitted via nextTick, and
+      // we cannot guarantee that there is no error lingering around
+      // waiting to be emitted.
       return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-        if (this[kError]) {
-          reject(this[kError]);
-        } else if (this[kEnded]) {
-          resolve(createIterResult(undefined, true));
-        } else {
-          finished(this[kStream], (err) => {
-            if (err && err.code !== 'ERR_STREAM_PREMATURE_CLOSE') {
-              reject(err);
-            } else {
-              resolve(createIterResult(undefined, true));
-            }
-          });
-        }
+        process.nextTick(() => {
+          if (this[kError]) {
+            reject(this[kError]);
+          } else {
+            resolve(createIterResult(undefined, true));
+          }
+        });
       });
     }
 
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-stream-readable-async-iterators.js b/test/parallel/test-stream-readable-async-iterators.js
index 1da31b45e23ba9..58f33177aa92cf 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-stream-readable-async-iterators.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-stream-readable-async-iterators.js
@@ -567,23 +567,6 @@ async function tests() {
       assert.strictEqual(e, err);
     })()]);
   }
-
-  {
-    const _err = new Error('asd');
-    const r = new Readable({
-      read() {
-      },
-      destroy(err, callback) {
-        setTimeout(() => callback(_err), 1);
-      }
-    });
-
-    r.destroy();
-    const it = r[Symbol.asyncIterator]();
-    it.next().catch(common.mustCall((err) => {
-      assert.strictEqual(err, _err);
-    }));
-  }
 }
 
 {