Turkey revokes the operating licence of Iran’s Bank Mellat, according to reporting from Middle East Eye and the Jerusalem Post. The Turkish Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency withdraws the licence of the bank’s main Istanbul branch, which has operated for about 44 years.
The Turkish regulator does not, in the accounts cited, explicitly link the decision to United States sanctions. Instead, it cites a provision that allows licences to be withdrawn if continued operations pose a risk to depositors’ rights or to the stability of the financial system.
Bank Mellat remains on the US Treasury sanctions list. The US designated the bank in 2018, alleging it provided financial support to Mehr Eqtesad Bank, which the US ties to Iran’s Basij. The Jerusalem Post also frames the move within a broader US campaign that includes additional recent sanctions targeting Turkish financial institutions, while Middle East Eye focuses on the Turkish regulator’s stated legal rationale.
Overall, the sources align on the licence revocation and the continuing US sanctions status of Bank Mellat, while differing mainly in emphasis on how directly Turkey’s action is connected to US pressure.
