Travel: Iran fingerprinting visitors

Tehran: Iran will start fingerprinting visitors from the United States, Britain and France, police said on Monday, listing three Western powers pressuring Iran over its disputed nuclear programme.

"This measure for American and British nationals is to serve as a reciprocation," Gholamreza Rezaeiyan, head of the police immigration office, told the Irna news agency.

Iranians travelling to the United States and Britian have their fingerprints taken.

"As for French nationals, it is done for the purpose of issuing them airport visas," he said, without giving details.

The United States has been collecting digital fingerprints and photographs of nearly all non-citizens from age 14 entering the country since 2004, part of a heightened security drive to identify terrorism suspects and combat fraud.

Applicants for British visas in Iran and other countries have their fingerprints recorded electronically.

The Irna report made no mention of the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme, which Western powers suspect is aimed at making bombs. Tehran denies the charge.