Iran Seeks Taliban Access to Leaked UK Afghan Database
Above: Taliban security personnel guard Afghan refugees at the Islam Qala border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran after their deportations from Iran on June 27, 2025. Image credit: Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images
The Facts
- Iran's Revolutionary Guards have formally requested access from the Taliban to a leaked database containing names of nearly 25,000 Afghans who worked with British forces and applied for asylum under U.K. relocation programs, according to British media outlets.
- The leaked database was accidentally released in February 2022 when a Royal Marine emailed the complete file to Afghan contacts in Britain instead of sending a small extract of the sensitive information.The spreadsheet contains names, telephone numbers and email addresses of Afghan soldiers, government workers and family members, plus identities of more than 100 British special forces personnel and MI6 operatives.
The Spin
Opposition narrative
This represents a catastrophic U.K. intelligence failure that puts countless lives at risk. The accidental leak of sensitive data containing MI6 operatives and Afghan allies creates a nightmare scenario where hostile regimes can hunt down British assets. Iran's formal request shows how a simple administrative error has become a geopolitical weapon.
Pro-government narrative
The U.K. government's two-year legal battle to suppress this story through super-injunctions was necessary to protect lives, not hide embarrassment. Officials acted responsibly by fighting in court to prevent reprisals against vulnerable Afghans and British personnel exposed by this breach.
Metaculus Prediction
Editor's Note
This story currently has limited coverage. We will continue to monitor all major outlets and update our reporting as additional information becomes available.
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 7.18.3
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 7.18.3