Jesse Jackson seeks trip to Iran

CHICAGO, April 26 (UPI) -- The Rev. Jesse Jackson says he will try to get to Iran in the near future to secure the release of a jailed U.S. journalist.

The veteran civil rights activist told the Chicago Sun-Times that he would be in New York this week to request a visa for travel to Iran where freelance reporter Roxana Saberi has been jailed as a spy.

"She could be a pawn or a trophy in a high-stakes game," Jackson said. "She was not there as a spy. She was there as a journalist."

The newspaper said Sunday that Jackson would also see if he could convince Tehran to free Silva Harotonian, an American who has been locked up in Iran for nearly a year.