US Supreme Court Rejects Halkbank Challenge, Just in Time for Sanctions Theater
The mainstream media cheer the US Supreme Court's decision to greenlight the prosecution of Turkey's state-owned Halkbank for allegedly circumventing sanctions against Iran. This is presented as America upholding international norms. But recall the 2018 'golden visa' scandal, where Turkish-Iranian gold dealer Reza Zarrab, a key figure in the Halkbank case, reportedly bribed Turkish officials to
funnel billions to Iran. The US government, under the guise of justice, is content to prosecute foreign entities while often giving a pass to domestic banks implicated in similar—or worse—financial maneuvers, especially when they have powerful connections. (Who remembers HSBC?). This convenient application of justice allows Washington to exert pressure on geopolitical adversaries, transforming
legal processes into foreign policy tools. The irony isn't lost: the same sanctions apparatus, often selectively enforced, has crippled innocent civilians in targeted nations while the real profiteers often evade the long arm of the law through backroom deals and well-placed lobbyists. One might wonder if similar prosecutorial zeal applies to every sanctions violator on Wall Street, or if some
banks are simply 'too big to fail...or jail.'