The Taliban handed over a leaked list of Afghans who worked with Britain to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in exchange for a promise to push Tehran to recognise their government, The Telegraph reported.
Citing senior Iranian officials, the newspaper said four Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers travelled to Kabul last week to collect the list, which the group intends to use as leverage in nuclear negotiations with the West. The officials reportedly acted without the knowledge of Iran’s government.
The list dates back to February 2022, when a British Ministry of Defence employee accidentally leaked the details of 25,000 Afghans who had applied for asylum in the UK, including former soldiers who had worked alongside British forces. Some are believed to have fled to Iran to escape Taliban reprisals.
According to sources, the IRGC delegation promised the Taliban it would lobby the Iranian government to accelerate recognition of the Taliban administration. In return, the Taliban provided a “modified” version of the list, though it remains unclear what changes were made.
An Iranian official told The Telegraph the IRGC plans to use the names to identify “British spies” and present them as bargaining chips ahead of the possible reactivation of UN “snapback” sanctions. European powers have warned Tehran it faces renewed penalties if it does not restart nuclear talks by the end of August.
Iranian border forces have already detained several Afghans whose names appeared on the list. Some were later released after being identified as former soldiers, while others remain in custody for investigation.
