Tehran, Apr. 18 : An American-Iranian journalist has been jailed for eight years in Tehran after being accused of spying for the United States.

Her lawyer and family revealed that 31-year-old Roxana Saberi had been convicted and sentenced. She had been detained in a notorious Tehran prison since January and went on trial behind closed doors last Monday.

Saberi''s lawyer, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, said: "She has been sentenced to eight years. I will appeal."

Her family and friends have repeatedly denied Tehran''s claims about the journalist, who has worked for the US-based National Public Radio and Fox News, as well as the BBC and Fox News, and had lived in Iran for six years.

The court ruling also came despite calls by Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, for Saberi''s release and US President Barack Obama''s diplomatic overtures to Iran. (ANI)