The man, named as 48-year-old Reza Mohammed Hussain Mozafar, was found guilty of spying and fraud to smuggle equipment and devices that could be used in Iran's nuclear programme, the English language Gulf News daily said citing court documents.
The Abu Dhabi government-owned al-Ittihad newspaper carried a similar report.
The Abu Dhabi-based Federal Appeals Court also found him guilty of harming relations between the UAE and the United States by importing equipment from America and smuggling it to Iran, in violation of United Nations sanctions in place at the time, the Wednesday ruling said, according to Gulf News.
The case is the latest in a series in the UAE involving people on trial for smuggling or spying for Iran, the newspapers said.