TEHRAN, (Reuters) – An Iranian court has sentenced an Iranian-American journalist accused of spying for the United States to eight years in jail, her lawyer told Reuters on Saturday.
The sentencing of Roxana Saberi could become a source of tension between Iran and the United States at a time when Washington is trying to reach out to the Islamic Republic following three decades of mutual hostility.
“She has been sentenced to eight years … I will appeal,” lawyer Abdolsamad Khorramshahi said.
The United States earlier this week called the charges against Saberi “baseless and without foundation” and demanded her immediate release.
Saberi, 31, is a citizen of both the United States and Iran but Tehran does not recognize dual nationality. It announced the espionage charges against her last week.
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