Iran to fingerprint American visitors

TEHRAN: US citizens wishing to enter Iran are to be fingerprinted on arrival after the Islamic republic’s hardline vetting body approved a parliamentary bill backing the move, Iranian media reported on Sunday.

The green light from the Guardians Council, which has the power to veto parliamentary legislation, came despite opposition from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has expressed concern the move could offend US travellers.

“The council approved an adopted bill (by parliament) to fingerprint US visitors entering the country, and thus the government is obliged to carry it out,” Guardians Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei was quoted as saying in Jomhuri Eslami.

The council has the authority to interpret the constitution and to determine if the laws passed by the majlis (parliament) are in line with the constitution of Iran and Islamic law. After the approval of any bill by the council it becomes an effective law.

The move by the council whose members are chosen directly and indirectly by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, came despite opposition to the bill from Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad said in his personal weblog that, “Iranians would not be happy if the dignity of legal US travellers, who are our guests, is hurt.” “My request is to reject this retaliatory bill was based on this point.” However, he termed the US government’s fingerprinting of Iranian visitors as an “insulting and outdated medieval move.”