US dropped charges against Turkey’s Halkbank in Hamas hostage deal, court documents show

US dropped charges against Turkey’s Halkbank in Hamas hostage deal, court documents show Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Wed, 03/11/2026 - 12:55 Washington settled multibillion dollar Iran sanctions case because Ankara helped Trump to secure a Hamas hostage deal, documents say Halkbank is one of Turkey's biggest banks (AFP/File) Off Washington has dropped a multibillion dollar case against Turkish state lender Halkbank for violating sanctions against Iran after Ankara helped secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in 2025. The revelations were made in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York court filings reviewed by Middle East Eye on Wednesday. In 2019, US prosecutors charged Halkbank with fraud, money laundering and conspiracy for allegedly helping Iran evade sanctions through money service providers and front companies in Iran , Turkey and the UAE .