Manhattan federal prosecutors are eyeing a proposed February 2021 trial date in the criminal case accusing Halkbank, the Turkish state-run bank, of helping Iran evade billions of dollars in U.S. economic sanctions, as both sides remained at odds over scheduling given COVID-19 concerns.

Halkbank’s Williams & Connolly attorneys told a federal judge Tuesday that the global pandemic had made travel to Turkey to meet with their client nearly impossible, and said they would need more time to sort through language issues and interview potential witnesses. They asked that trial in the case be set instead for March 2022.