Halkbank

October 23, 2024 | Sinan Ciddi |

U.S. Court Denies Sovereign Immunity for Halkbank

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled on Tuesday that the federal government could proceed with the prosecution of Turkish public lender Halkbank on charges that it helped to evade U.S....

October 18, 2024 | Sinan Ciddi |

How not to dethrone an authoritarian leader: The case of Turkey’s Erdoğan

Public apathy and inaction to Erdoğan's authoritarian agenda play a big role in sustaining his hold on power

June 17, 2024 | |

Israel SitRep: June 17, 2024

Today’s Issue: IDF Spokesman: Hezbollah ‘Bringing Us to the Brink’ of Possible ‘Wider Escalation’ | IDF Chief of Staff: Army Seeking to Expand Enlistment, Haredi Community Has Opportunity for...

June 14, 2024 | Sinan Ciddi |

Istanbul Court Censors Reports That Halkbank Loaned $17 Million to Alleged Organized Crime Boss

An Istanbul court on June 5 ordered the removal of all references to allegations by the newspaper Birgun that Halkbank, a public lender, extended a 550 million lira ($17 million) loan to a person accused...

May 13, 2024 | Sinan Ciddi |

Why President Erdogan’s DC Visit Was Canceled

It is time to stop treating Turkey as an indispensable nation deserving endless accommodation for its rogue foreign policy.

January 26, 2024 | Sinan Ciddi |

Civil Case Against Halkbank Dismissed by Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court on January 8 denied a civil petition brought against Halkbank, a Turkish state-owned public lender accused of facilitating Iranian sanctions busting. Despite the petition’s dismissal,...

October 22, 2023 | Sinan Ciddi |

Erdogan’s Damning Response to the Hamas Attacks

Turkey’s president is widening the gulf between Ankara and her Western allies and partners.

April 19, 2023 | |

Supreme Court Allows Iran Sanctions-Evasion Case Against Turkish Bank to Proceed

The Supreme Court ruled on April 19 that the Turkish state-owned Halkbank remains subject to criminal prosecution in U.S. courts for conspiring to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran....

December 19, 2022 | Sinan Ciddi, Behnam Ben Taleblu

Will Turkey Pay a Price for Helping Iran Break Sanctions?

So long as Turkey continues to enable adversaries like Iran to evade American sanctions, it will be an ally in name only.

December 16, 2022 | |

US Sanctions Friend of Turkish President for Helping Iran Evade Sanctions

The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned on December 8 Sitki Ayan– a Turkish businessman and friend of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – accusing him and his companies of circumventing sanctions on Iran’s energy industry. According to Treasury, Ayan facilitated the sale of millions of dollars’ worth of oil for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF).

November 14, 2022 | |

Turkey Seeks Sovereign Immunity in Two Cases Before the Supreme Court

Two recent Supreme Court rulings in the United States may shed light on whether entities owned by foreign governments can claim immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA)...

November 3, 2022 | David May, Sinan Ciddi

The Limits of Turkey’s Israeli Charm Offensive

The pillars of the Israel-Turkey relationship—energy and defense cooperation—require long-term agreements built on mutual trust, not Erdogan’s capricious vacillation between enmity and cooperation.

October 7, 2022 | Sinan Ciddi |

Growing Trade Signals Deeper Ties Between Iran and Turkey

According to Turkish government sources, bilateral trade between Turkey and Iran increased sharply over the last six months. Although formally a U.S. ally through NATO, Turkey appears determined to deepen...

September 29, 2022 | Sinan Ciddi |

Turkish Banks Suspend Use of Russia’s Mir Payment System

Three Turkish state-owned banks suspended their use of the Russian payment system “Mir” — Moscow’s alternative to the Brussels-based SWIFT messaging service — on Tuesday. This move comes amid...

January 19, 2022 | Aykan Erdemir |

Halkbank’s Supreme Court Appeal Will Delay Iran Sanctions-Evasion Case

A U.S. appeals court ruled on Friday that Halkbank, a public lender majority-owned by Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund, can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court without having to defend itself in a Manhattan...

October 26, 2021 | Aykan Erdemir |

Landmark Iran Sanctions Ruling Against Turkish Public Lender Builds U.S. Deterrence

A U.S. appeals court ruled on October 22 that Halkbank, a public lender majority-owned by Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund, cannot claim sovereign immunity under U.S. law to scuttle a federal criminal case...

October 23, 2021 | Aykan Erdemir, Toby Dershowitz

Turkey Returns to Financial Action Task Force ‘Grey List’

This designation shows yet again that NATO member Turkey continues to offer a permissive jurisdiction for terror finance, sanctions evasion, and money laundering under the 19-year rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party.

October 22, 2021 | Aykan Erdemir, Toby Dershowitz

Turkey Lands on Anti-Money Laundering Watchlist — Again

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Paris-based global money laundering and terror financing watchdog, added Turkey to its “grey list” on Thursday, placing Ankara alongside 22 other jurisdictions,...

August 31, 2021 | Aykan Erdemir |

Financial Watchdog Cracks Down on Turkish Public Lender’s German Subsidiary

Germany’s financial regulatory authority on August 26 announced a series of punitive measures against an unnamed financial institution that journalists have identified as Ziraat Bank International AG,...

May 13, 2021 | Aykan Erdemir |

Commerce Department Targets Former Turkish Banker for Evading Iran Sanctions

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security on May 5 announced it would deny export privileges to Mehmet Hakan Atilla, the former deputy general manager of Halkbank, Turkey’s second-largest...