An Iranian revolutionary court has sentenced US-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi, who was put on trial for spying, to eight years in jail.
The 31-year-old has been detained in a notorious Tehran prison since January and went on trial behind closed doors last Monday accused of spying for the US.
The court ruling comes despite calls by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for Ms Saberi's release and President Barack Obama's diplomatic overtures to Iran.
The sentence is the harshest meted out to a dual-national on security charges.
Several US-Iranians have been detained in recent years on security accusations but released within months.
US-born Ms Saberi has reported for US-based National Public Radio (NPR), the BBC and Fox News, and had lived in Iran for six years.
In March, foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said Ms Saberi's press card was revoked in 2006 and since then she had been working ‘illegally’.
Last month her parents appealed to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for her release, saying she was in a ‘dangerous’ mental state.
Hillary Clinton said she was 'deeply disappointed' by Iran's decision to sentence Ms Saberi and would raise the case with Tehran.
She said the US will continue to 'vigorously raise our concerns to the Iranian government.'
