American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi freed

WATCH VIDEO

US-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi, and her father Reza talk with media in Tehran on Tuesday May 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian)

Reza Saberi, Father of Roxana Saberi, said, "She had made some statements under pressure and later she said they were not true, and the court accepted her statement."

Washington had called the espionage charges against Saberi "baseless" and repeatedly demanded her release.

Saberi was originally convicted for visiting Israel with a confidential Iranian government document about the US war in Iraq.

During her appeal, the freelancer said she copied it out of "curiosity" but didn't share it with American officials. She apologized and the court reduced the charge from espionage to possessing confidential documents.

The release removed a snag in U.S. President Barack Obama's attempts to improve U.S.-Iranian relations.