TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian-American journalist accused of spying for the U.S. was sentenced Saturday by an Iranian court to eight years in prison, a move likely to strain the Obama administration’s recent overtures to improve relations with Iran.
Roxana Saberi, 31, who had reported for the BBC and National Public Radio, faced espionage charges during a trial Monday before Iran’s Revolutionary Court.
“The eight-year sentence is true. I will appeal the verdict,” said Saberi’s lawyer, Abdul-Samad Khorramshahi.
It was not known if she was convicted Saturday or after her court appearance.
Saberi, who was arrested nearly three months ago and is being held in Tehran’s Evin Prison, could have received as many as 10 years in prison or even the death penalty. She was charged with spying on Iran, in the guise of a journalist, and passing information and documents to U.S. intelligence services.
The U.S. has condemned the accusations against Saberi as “baseless and without foundation.”
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