Iran has foiled five al-Qaida conspiracies against it and detained or expelled nearly 3,000 al- Qaida members, Intelligence Minister Ali Younesi said on Saturday.

"Currently some 200 al-Qaida members are in Iranian prisons," Younesi told the official IRNA news agency.

"Since the collapse of Taliban in Afghanistan, al-Qaida made five waves of attempts against Iran which have all been thwarted," Younesi.

Meanwhile, Younesi slammed the United States and Israel for recruiting former al-Qaida members.

Younesi's delivery is the most detailed and comprehensive official revelation on Tehran's al-Qaida crackdown so far.

The United States has repeatedly accused Iran of sponsoring terrorists, labeling it as a member of the "Axis of Evil".

Tehran has vehemently rejected the charge, saying Washington is to blame for the growth of many terrorist groups including al- Qaida.

Iran says that it strongly opposes any form of terrorism from which the Iranians also suffer greatly.

Source: Xinhua