China lost 3-0 to Iran in the semifinal of the men's volleyball tournament of the Asian Games here on Thursday.

Iran beat China 25-15, 25-15, 25-19, with no Chinese player scoring more than seven points.

"The result is within our expectation. Our players lack confidence in face of such a strong opponent as Iran. But we will try our best to win the next match," said Xie Guochen, head coach of China's men's volleyball team.

"We came here for the final. We participated in the World Championships before, but we did great today. We are happy to beat China," said Slobodan Kovac, head coach of Iran.

Also on Thursday, Japan defeated South Korea 3-1 in the other semifinal.

On Friday, Iran and Japan will play the gold medal match, and China will compete for the bronze against South Korea.