The Taliban secretly provided Iran’s Revolutionary Guard with a leaked list of Afghans who had worked with Britain, in exchange for a promise to push Tehran toward recognizing their government, according to senior Iranian officials and regional security sources.
Officials confirmed that four Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers traveled to Kabul last week to collect the list. The Guard intends to use the names as leverage in nuclear negotiations with Western powers — a move reportedly carried out without the formal approval of Iran’s civilian leadership.
The sensitive list dates back to February 2022, when a British Ministry of Defence employee mistakenly exposed the details of around 25,000 Afghans who had applied for asylum in the UK, including ex-soldiers who served alongside British troops. Some of these individuals are believed to have fled to Iran to avoid Taliban reprisals.
In return for the handover, sources say the IRGC delegation promised the Taliban it would lobby Tehran to accelerate recognition of the group’s administration. The Taliban supplied a “modified” version of the list, though the exact changes remain unclear.
Reports from Iranian officials suggest that border forces have already detained several Afghans named on the list. While some were later released after verification, others remain in custody.
