Sputnik News- Halkbank, a state-owned Turkish bank, did not break national or international law, nor did it violate the United Nations’ policy of sanctions against Iran, Mehmet Simsek, the deputy prime minister of Turkey said Friday commenting on the detention of its Deputy CEO Mehmet Hakan Atilla in the United States.





ANKARA (Sputnik) — On Monday, Atilla was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport on suspicion of a secret deal aimed at sending money to Iran, an act which violates international sanctions.
“Halkbank did not violate national or international law, it did not act contrary to the UN sanctions [against Iran]. Turkish government is behind this bank as it is responsible for the whole banking sector of Turkey,” Simsek said, as quoted by the A Haber broadcaster.


Halkbank, the seventh largest bank in Turkey, may face troubles with foreign borrowing as a result of Atilla’s arrest, Simsek underlined.

According to the US Department of Justice, Atilla is suspected of helping gold trader Reza Zarrab transfer large sums of money to Iran via US financial institutions.

On Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Atilla’s arrest may have been influenced by former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara, who is believed to have close ties with Fethullah terrorist organization (FETO), which Ankara accuses of organizing Turkey's thwarted July coup.

For years Iran has been impacted by the burden of international sanctions introduced by the United States, the European Union, as well as by the United Nations against the backdrop of its nuclear and missile activities. Washington's anti-Tehran sanctions regime also includes the restrictions imposed after the 1979 revolution. On July 14, 2015, Iran and the group of six international mediators signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), ensuring the peaceful nature of Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for gradual sanctions relief.