TEHRAN – Iran national basketball team suffered an 81-66 loss against Montenegro at the Tbilisi International Cup in Tbilisi, Georgia on Saturday.

Team Melli will face losers of Georgia and Jordan match on Sunday.

It was Hakan Demir’s fifth loss in charge of Iran, as the Persians had previously lost to Lebanon (twice) and Russia (twice).

Iran prepare for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, where they are drawn in Group G along with Spain, Brazil and Ivory Coast.

The 2023 FIBA World Cup will be held from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.