U.S. Officials Pressure Iran to Free American Pastor

American leaders are pressuring Iran to free Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini, who faces trial Monday, CBN News reports. Iran Revolutionary Guard officers arrested Abedini, 32, in September while he was in Iran visiting his family and working on a project for an orphanage. Now, the head of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has denounced his imprisonment and prosecution. Katrina Lantos Swett said Iran may be making an example of Abedini for his contacts with the underground Christian church in the Islamic country. This week, 12 U.S. senators and 37 congressmen urged Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to take a more active role in seeking Abedini's release; the American Center for Law and Justice has also been working on his case.