dianavan,

there is some evidence of a connection between Al Qaeda and one or two Iranian-backed Hezbollah actions. This means Al Qaeda and hezbollah may have worked together in common cause and taken some money from Iranians.

To equate this with Al-Qaeda "thriving" in Iran is like saying that Al Qaeda "thrives" in Germany or Britain. There is no good evidence outside of right-wing conspiracy circles, that Al Qaeda has a strong presence in Iran, particularly in recruitment. Some operatives may be in Iran, just as there are some in the US and Germany, for example. But recruitment from one brand of fundamentalism to another is not so easy.

Countries where Al Qaeda DOES, obviously, have a strong presence in terms of recruitment, are Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, which the US government is doing its damnedest to ignore.