Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi has been sentenced by an Iranian court for allegedly spying for the United States. Accused of being a C.I.A. spy, Ms. Saberi will face eight-years behind bars.

Reuters.

Because Iran is not an open society, very often it is hard to judge the merits of a case. A professor of mine - Shaul Bakhash - has his wife imprisoned for several months. Fortunately, she’s free now, but the family went through agony as their wife and mother was imprisoned because of suspicion she was trying to undermine the Iranian regime at the behest of the United States. Like Ms. Saberi, Ms. Bakhash is also Iranian-American and was there only in Tehran to visit her mother.

One cannot judge these cases, of course, solely on what the Iranians say. And defendants often have a hard time stating their case in a system stacked against them. But whether Ms. Saberi is a spy is not the only thing that is important here.

Why is Iran doing this now? President Barack Obama is trying to reach out to Iran. By imprisoning an American citizen, Iran just gives ammunition to American hardliners and Israelis who argue that negotiations with Iran is futile and that only bombing will work. Iran would, though I do not believe even with this case, appear to be vindicating their polemics against the Islamic Republic.

Iran does not need bad press now. Even if Ms. Saberi is a spy, the sentencing could at least be delayed or she should be set free in the higher goal of a rapprochement with the United States.

What are the Mullahs thinking?