Iran's parliament mulls fingerprinting U.S. visitors

Iran's parliament agreed on Tuesday to debate a bill that demands fingerprinting of all U.S. citizens when they seek to enter the Islamic Republic, the official IRNA news agency reported.

In a session of the Majlis, or parliament, the lawmakers agreed to debate and vote on the bill in the near future, IRNA said.

The bill asks Iranian officials to fingerprint U.S. visitors and study their records to prevent those Americans who are unwanted and harmful to Iran's security.

Alaeddin Boroojerdi, chief of the parliament's foreign policy and national security committee, said that the bill was come up with as Iranian sports officials, university professors and others are always asked by the U.S. officials "contemptuously" to leave fingerprint when they seek to enter the United States.

"Members of the Majlis are obliged to defend the Iranians' dignity and honor and Iran's response is an appropriate reaction to the U.S. measures," Boroojerdi said.

The bill is also a reaction to a new U.S. legislation that would impose mandatory sanctions on entities or countries that provide goods or services for Iran's weapon programs, he added.

U.S. President George W. Bush on Saturday signed into law the Iran Freedom Support Act after the bill was passed by both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

Source: Xinhua