White House 'Disappointed' by Iran's Prison Sentence for American Journalist

TEHRAN,Iran-Iran convicted an American journalist of spying for the United States and sentenced her to eight years in prison, her lawyer said Saturday, complicating the Obama administration's efforts to improve relations with Tehran.The White House said President Barack Obama was "deeply disappointed"(1) by the conviction, while the journalist's father told a radio station his daughter was tricked into making incriminating statements by officials who told her they would free her if she did.It was the first time Iran has found an American journalist guilty of spying, and it is unclear how it will affect Obama's push to break a 30-year-old diplomatic deadlock between the two adversaries.Roxana Saberi, a 31-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen, was arrested in late January and initially accused of working without press credentials. But earlier this month, an Iranian judge leveled a far more serious allegation, charging her with spying for the United States.The Fargo, North Dakota native had been living in Iran for six years and had worked as a freelance reporter for several news organizations including National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corp.The journalist's Iranian-born father, Reza Saberi, told NPR that his daughter was convicted Wednesday, two days after she appeared before an Iranian court in an unusually swift one-day closed-door trial. The court waited until Saturday to announce its decision to the lawyers, he said.Saberi's father is in Iran but was not allowed into the courtroom to see his daughter, who he described as "quite depressed." He said she denied the incriminating statements she made when she realized she had been tricked but "apparently in the case they didn't consider her denial."Saberi's lawyer, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, told The Associated Press he would "definitely appeal the verdict."North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan criticized the conviction as "a shocking miscarriage of justice" and called on the Iranian government to "show compassion" and release Saberi.U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States was working with Swiss diplomats in Iran to get details about the court's decision and to ensure Saberi's well-being. She said in a statement the United States will "vigorously raise our concerns" with the Iranian government.(2) The United States has called the charges against Saberi baseless, and the conviction and prison sentence could put strains on efforts to improve ties.Obama has said he wants to engage Iran in talks on its nuclear program and other issues — a departure from the tough talk of the Bush administration.
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PS:(1)So BHO is "dissapointed"...?What a joke...Between him and "jewel"Hellary that said that(2)"will vigorously raise our concerns with the iranian government"once more have proved their true colours to be...They lie to their teeth acting like they really care about people and situations...It's just a posture...nothing else...TRUTH is the iranian REGIME keeps doing what knows best:oppressing,arresting,torturing,hanging,killling,beating up people...
As in the days of Noah...