A U.S. appeals court in Manhattan granted Turkish state lender Halkbank a temporary pause in its Iran sanctions evasion case.

The temporary stay in the case was granted Friday to allow for the bank's requests to be heard by a three-judge panel. The court said it would take up Halkbank's requests on an expedited basis.

Halkbank was charged in October with attempts to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran.

A court denied in early December Halkbank's request to make a "special and limited appearance" in order to have the case dropped without having to formally participate in proceedings.

District Court Judge