Iran jails U.S.-Iranian reporter for 8 years

By Parisa Hafezi and Fredrik Dahl

TEHRAN (Reuters) - An Iranian-American journalist accused in Iran of spying for the United States has been jailed for eight years, her lawyer said on Saturday, five days after she was put on trial.

An Iranian judiciary official, quoted by the ISNA news agency, confirmed the sentencing of Roxana Saberi, a U.S.-born freelance reporter who has worked for the BBC and National Public Radio (NPR).

U.S. President Barack Obama is "deeply disappointed" by the sentencing, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Saberi's jailing could become a source of U.S.-Iranian tension at a time when Washington is trying to reach out to the Islamic Republic following three decades of mutual mistrust.

The judiciary earlier this week said Saberi went on trial on Monday at a Revolutionary Court, which handles security cases.

"She has been sentenced to eight years ... I will appeal," lawyer Abdolsamad Khorramshahi told Reuters.

ISNA quoted the unnamed judiciary official as saying: "Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court sentenced Roxana Saberi to eight years for espionage. She can appeal the sentence."

Her father, Reza Saberi, told the NPR that his daughter had been coerced into statements that she later retracted.