( CNN ) -- Political discussions about Iran 's nuclear aspirations were benched Thursday when the U.S. and Iranian national basketball teams went head to head at the FIBA World Championships in Istanbul , Turkey . The Americans clinched first place in Group B with an 88-51 win over Iran . But most of the attention was n't directed toward the players ' performance or their skills on the court ; rather , it was the fact that the two teams -- whose countries have no diplomatic relations -- were sharing the same court for the first time . `` Yeah I get a lot of questions , most of it about the politics . But our game is nothing to do about the politics , it 's just the sport , '' Iranian player Arsalan Kazemi told CNN . `` The only way is for people from USA and Iran can come together and have a friendly time together . We have to go there and play our best . The USA , you know , are a lot better than us . We just have to go there and play so the fans can enjoy the game , '' Kazemi said before the match . The 6-foot , 7-inch forward and sophomore at Rice University in Texas considers himself a fan of both teams . He is the first Iranian to play Division 1 men 's college basketball in the United States . Kazemi grew up watching old National Basketball Association games replayed on Iranian television every Friday . This is the first time Iran has qualified for the world championships , and for Kazemi , there was no hiding his excitement at playing against some of the NBA 's elite . `` Because they are the best players in the world . They all play in the NBA , which is the highest level of basketball , and that 's it . I just want to go and play against them , play good , '' Kazemi said . Only about a quarter of the seats in Abdi Ipekci Hall in Istanbul were occupied for the game , and a majority of the spectators were Iranians or expatriates . Hamed Haddadi , who plays for the NBA 's Memphis Grizzlies , was the crowd favorite as he played for his home country . Through a sea of Iranian flags and banners , only a handful of American flags were visible , but one group of fans held up an American flag and an Iranian flag with a sign in between them reading `` PEACE . '' Relations between the two countries have been strained further in recent years due to Iran 's nuclear program , which Tehran insists is for peaceful purposes . But Washington and many of its allies fear Iran may be trying to develop nuclear weapons . Diplomatic ties between the United States and Iran were cut in 1980 , after Iranian students seized the American Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and held 52 Americans hostage for more than a year . Despite any outside pressures both teams may have felt looming from home , they were not shown on the court . Haddadi shared a friendly bump and a laugh with U.S. forward Rudy Gay , his teammate on the Grizzlies . Haddadi scored 19 points for the Iranians . `` We both came out , played hard , and represented our countries well . Iran fought very hard . It was a very good game . I think we showed a lot of respect for each other . I was happy with the outcome , '' U.S. player Tyson Chandler said . The match provided a trip down memory lane for the U.S. team 's coach , Mike Krzyzewski . `` I 've been to Iran . I played there in the early 70s , in Tehran , '' he said after the game . `` I have good friends that are of Iranian descent in the United States . So I have a good feeling for the Iranian people . There 's no political aspect in my mind about the ballgame . '' The Iranian team 's coach , who is from Serbia , laughed when discussing the media attention surrounding the game . `` A lot of newspapers would come to practice and make a picture . OK for us , this is interesting . We are first time at the world championship and for us this entertainment is good , '' Veselin Matic said . `` I am very happy for my players . This helps them to motivate them . I think they are very good fighters , '' he added . Despite its efforts , Iran will not advance to the next round . The U.S. win put them at 1-3 for the tournament . `` This was a very hard game , this was a very tough game . This is the first time we are playing in the world championship , '' Iranian player Aren Davoodi told CNN . `` Everyone wants to play against NBA players because they are the biggest players in the world . I hope we can be better next time against the U.S. '' CNN 's Yesim Comert contributed to this report .
In the first -ever meeting of the teams , the Iran won 19 . Scrutiny of the game was due more to the political situation than anything else . The Iranians players said they were excited to go up against CNN stars .