Press Roundup provides a selected summary of news from the Iranian press, and excerpts where the source is in English. Click on the link to the story to read it in full. Tehran Bureau has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. Please refer to the Media Guide to help put the stories in perspective. You can follow other news stories through our Twitter feed.

Iran digging graves for US troops if attack on Iran

AP | Aug 10, 2010

Iran has dug mass graves in which to bury U.S. troops in case of any American attack on the country, a former commander of the elite Revolutionary Guard said.

"The mass graves that used to be for burying Saddam's soldiers have now been prepared again for U.S. soldiers, and this is the reason for digging this big number of graves," Moghadam told The Associated Press Television News late Monday. He did not say how many were prepared.

Iran political prisoners end hunger strike

AFP | Aug 10, 2010

A group of Iranian political prisoners ended a two-week hunger strike in Evin prison protesting against their treatment by jailers, an opposition website reported on Tuesday.

The group said in a statement carried by the website of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi that they were ending the strike in response to calls by Mousavi and other opposition figures.

"We hope the Tehran prosecutor and other officials make good on their promises... and deal with offending wardens who have insulted the prisoners" they said in the statement dated August 9 on Kaleme.com.

'Enemy invested $17bn in Iran unrest'

Press TV | Aug 9, 2010

The Iranian intelligence minister says the arrogant powers of the world are spending billions of dollars on fueling ethnic conflicts to destabilize Iran's border.

"In the past 25 years, more than 80 centers and institutions for soft war have been founded and around 2 billion dollars has been spent on them annually," Hojjatoleslam Heidar Moslehi said on Monday.

Iran slaps 20-year jail terms on seven Bahai

AFP | Aug 10, 2010

Iran arrested seven Bahai leaders in May 2008 and this year put them on trial on charges ranging from spying for foreigners, spreading corruption on Earth, undermining Islam and of cooperating with Israel.

"If this news proves to be accurate, it represents a deeply shocking outcome to the case of these innocent and harmless people," declared Bani Dugal, who represents the Bahai faith in contacts with the United Nations, in a statement.

"The trial of the seven consisted of six brief court appearances which began on 12 January this year after they had been incarcerated without charge for 20 months, during which time they were allowed barely one hour's access to their legal counsel. The trial ended on 14 June," it added.

The group now has seven million followers, including 300,000 in Iran -- where its members are barred from higher education and government posts -- and has a large temple in Haifa, in northern Israel.

Brazil formalizes asylum offer for Iranian woman sentenced to stoning

CNN | Aug 10, 2010

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had made a previous offer for asylum, raising Ashtiani's hopes for survival. Brazil's ambassador in Tehran has now officially made the offer at Iran's foreign ministry, according to the state-run news service Agencia Brasil.

Ashtiani's lawyers said Iranian authorities are mischaracterizing the status of the adultery and murder charges against her. Attorney Hootan Kian said even though Ashtiani was cleared of her husband's murder five years ago, Iran continues to insist she was found guilty.

Ashtiani has said she was "grateful" for Brazil's offer and would "graciously" accept, according to a statement from her son, Sajjad Ashtiani, who has been to visit his mother in a Tabriz prison.

Iran Plans to Mass-Produce World's Fastest Speedboat Next Year

Fars News | Aug 10, 2010

Iran plans to start mass production of the world's fastest speedboat in the next Iranian year (beginning March 21), a senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced on Tuesday.

"We will supply Iran's marine units with a large number of such speedboats which will have torpedo and missile launching capabilities," Commander of the IRGC Navy Admiral Ali Fadavi said in a press conference today.

New Wave of Iranians Seek U.S. Studies

New York Times | Aug 10, 2010

Since 1979, when tens of thousands of Iranians studied in the United States, the number of Iranian students in the United States has taken an almost uninterrupted nosedive, bottoming out at fewer than 1,700 students in 1999. Since then, the number of students has begun a slow but steady rise, with more Iranians in the country now than at any other point since 1994, says the Institute of International Education in New York.

But just to get to the United States ambitious students face obstacles ranging from the inconvenient to the daunting, testing the mettle of even the most steadfast. Student visas can take many months to obtain. Because of security concerns, Iranians face background checks that the State Department refers to as additional administrative processing by the American authorities.

Because there is no American Embassy in Iran, students must travel to American embassies or consulates in other countries to apply. Ms. Fathi submitted her visa application in Cyprus, which she estimates cost her $5,000 in travel and other expenses.