A spokesman for Iran's judiciary says an Iranian-American journalist jailed for espionage is not on a hunger strike and is in "good health".

Roxana Saberi, 32, is a freelance journalist who was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of spying for the government of the United States.

Her father claims she has entered her second week of hunger strike to protest the sentence. Reza Saberi told Reuters that Roxana was "frail and weak" after refusing food for a week.

Iranian Judiciary spokesman Alireza Jamshidi, however, was quoted as saying on Tuesday by ISNA that she was in good shape.

Washington has expressed concern about the case, urging the immediate release of Saberi.

Tehran, however, has advised the White House against hyping the situation and asked the US to respect the independence of Iran's judiciary.

Saberi is currently awaiting an appeal court to review her verdict.

MD/HGH