Less Talk, More AK-47s

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" 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.

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.


And it's the same Clinton "talking" that got us into a 9/11 situation in the first place.

Image this scene with the Pantsuit Princess in downtown Tehran: