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Investigations and intelligence updates

Issue 9: April 2025

Investigations and intelligence updates

Editor's note

Emeric Bernard-Jones

Welcome to our 9th edition of Investigations and intelligence updates, our monthly publication.

This month our articles span continents and sectors — from diplomacy in the Gulf, to regulatory reform in the UK, and shifting political alliances in Central Asia. 

We’re aware that everyone has been inundated with news on tariffs and sanctions over the past few weeks, so we drill down into the ongoing discussions for sanctions relief as part of a wider nuclear deal between the US and Iran. However, what really caught my attention this month was the little -publicised reclassification of the Afghan Taliban who have been removed from the list of proscribed terrorist groups and organisations in Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. 

While no country has formally recognised the Taliban as the legitimate government of the self-titled ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’, it’s looking more and more likely that the Taliban are on their way to achieving some form of international recognition, even in the face of immense global pressure to put an end to what had been dubbed by (and this is a mouthful, so I apologise in advance) the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan as a ‘gender apartheid’. 

As ever, we aim to provide interesting insights to help you navigate an evolving global landscape. 

News
a close up of a flag

US – Iran indirect negotiations

After years of mounting tensions and diplomatic deadlock, the United States (US) and Iran reopened indirect nuclear negotiations in Muscat and Rome this month. The talks, which began on 12 April 2025, were the first substantive diplomatic engagement between the two governments since US President Donald Trump began his second term in office.

News
corporate building

SFO's new self-reporting framework

Earlier this month, the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) unveiled a significant revision to its corporate self-reporting guidance, aiming to incentivise companies to proactively disclose financial misconduct.

News
birdseye view of Afghanistan

Afghanistan update: April 2025

In previous editions of our intelligence and investigations update, we detailed ongoing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan following a marked rise in terrorist attacks committed in Pakistan by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), as well as the Afghan Taliban's efforts to reintegrate into global trade networks.

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