The U.S. Justice Department is seeking to abandon the criminal prosecution of Halkbank, a Turkish state-owned bank, over charges it violated sanctions on Iran. A motion to dismiss the case was filed in federal court, though no details have been released on why the government changed course.
The case against the bank
Prosecutors had accused Halkbank of helping Iran evade U.S. economic sanctions through a complex scheme involving gold, oil, and fake food shipments. The bank pleaded not guilty to fraud, money laundering, and sanctions charges. The case had been pending for years and had strained relations between Washington and Ankara.
What the DOJ's request means
The filing asks the judge to drop all counts against the bank with prejudice, meaning the charges cannot be refiled. The move is a sharp reversal after the Trump administration had pursued the case aggressively. The Justice Department has not publicly explained its reasoning, and the court must still approve the dismissal.
Unresolved questions
The decision leaves key questions open—chief among them why the department chose to drop the case now. No timeline has been set for a judge's ruling, and no additional statements from either side have been released. The case against individual defendants, if any, remains unclear.
