Iran 'hunting down British spies' on 'kill list' leaked to Taliban in MoD data breach

A group of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officials were in Afghanistan last week for talks on a cooperation deal with the Taliban, according to a report citing senior Iranian and Afghan officials.

Iranian officials allegedly want to use the list to capture suspected spies and use them as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Meanwhile, the Taliban wants Tehran to recognise the group as the official rulers of the war-torn country in return, it is understood.

It comes after LBC exclusively revealed how a leaked Ministry of Defence (MoD) list exposed the details of thousands of Afghans who had applied for asylum under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) — a scheme that offers sanctuary in the UK to Afghans who supported British military operations during the conflict.

MI6 spies, special forces personnel and members of the SAS were included in the spreadsheet, defence sources have previously told LBC.

Read more: Up to 3,700 Afghans, troops and civil servants may be victims of another data breach

Read more: Iran 'asks Taliban for kill list’ leaked in MoD data blunder to 'track down MI6 spies'

The Iranian regime had been hoping to gain access as it scrambles to gain leverage over the West ahead of nuclear negotiations this autumn.

Now, it has allegedly received the list, according to the Telegraph.

“They promised the Taliban that they would pressure the government [in Tehran] to expedite their recognition.

“The Taliban gave them the list. They want to find British spies before the ‘snapback’ to have something to pressure London behind closed doors,” a senior Iranian official speaking from Tehran told the newspaper.

Iranian border forces have reportedly arrested several people whose names are included on the leaked list, it has been claimed.

“Many were released because they were only former Afghan soldiers, while others are being held for further checks,” the source said.

“The focus is just on British spies,” they added.

The Taliban had already claimed that it had the leaked list of Afghans who had helped Britain for years and had been hunting down those named.

"We got the list from the internet during the very first days when it was leaked," an official said.

"A special unit has been launched to find them and make sure they do not work with Britain.

"We’ve been calling and visiting their family members to track them down.

“Senior figures in the establishment in Kandahar are pressuring officials in Kabul to find them. They believe these individuals are still working with the British, and say the problem must be dealt with."

Between 80,000 and 100,000 people, including family members of the ARAP applicants, were affected by the breach and could be at risk of harassment, torture or death if the Taliban obtained their data, judges said in June 2024.

The News Agents’ and LBC presenter Lewis Goodall was barred from reporting it and initially forbidden from even informing his editor. Court hearings were held in secret, with even media lawyers excluded from "closed sessions."

The MoD sought and was granted a contra mundum superinjunction — a rare legal order that not only barred publication of the story but also prevented anyone from revealing that an injunction even existed. In court, it was described as “constitutionally unprecedented”.

The injunction was originally presented as a short-term emergency measure to protect lives while the government identified and helped those most at risk.

But subsequent hearings revealed that the number of people the MoD planned on assisting was just 200 individuals, plus their dependents - a fraction of those affected. Eventually, though there is some dispute about the figures, at least 6,900 people have now been brought over as a result of the breach.