US imposes sanctions aiming to 'dismantle' International Criminal Court

US President Donald Trump's administration imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday, hours after one of its former judges won the Nobel Peace Prize. 

This comes as the US has in recent months made no bones about pursuing what Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called a "sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court."

The United States and Israel had both strongly opposed the court's arrest warrants for top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Since 2020 and the back end of Trump's first term, the US had also opposed investigations into military actions in Afghanistan that "deprioritize" alleged US wrongdoings, focusing on the Taliban, but can nevertheless include them.

ICC judges living under US sanctions

What did the State Department say about the ICC sanctions?

"President Trump will never allow the International Court to prosecute Americans," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. 

"That is why, today, the United States is sanctioning the International Criminal Court. We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate," he said. 

The ICC said the US sanctions aimed to obstruct an "independent" international court supported by more than half of the UN's members.

"The court will continue to fully discharge its mandate, with independence and impartiality, acting only on the basis of the law and the evidence, for the sake of the countless victims of grave crimes," said ICC President Tomoko Akane, who already faces US sanctions. 

What is the ICC? 

The International Criminal Court is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal based in the Dutch city of The Hague.

It's the only permanent international court with the theoretical jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for international crimes like genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and illegal aggression. 

The ICC was set up in 2002 and is underpinned by the Rome Statute treaty.

More than half the countries in the world, 125 in total, are full parties to the Rome Statute, having signed and ratified it. 

Several of the world's most significant powers — not least China, India, Russia, the US and Israel — do not recognize the court's jurisdiction. 

There is, however, a grey area in that the court accepts challenges from ratified members against individuals from countries that do not recognize the court.

That is why high-profile arrest warrants against Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, and Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have been issued in recent years — following respective complaints from Ukrainians and Palestinians. 

What were the prior signs of Trump administration pressure on the ICC? 

The US has been increasingly critical of the ICC during Trump's second term. 

Rubio has often led the charge, for instance, writing an opinion article for the Wall Street Journal in mid-July this year saying, "America never agreed to a world tribunal that can override our own courts and the Constitution."

He argued it was possible for US "soldiers, police officers, Border Patrol agents and elected leaders" to be "dragged before an international court" and tried by judges "from random countries across the globe." 

Just over a week later, on July 25, Venezuela's new administration — transformed after the US abduction of Nicolas Maduro in January — announced that it planned to withdraw from the Rome Statute and the ICC. 

In response, the US State Department welcomed "the new Venezuelan government's partnership on American-led efforts to dismantle the corrupt and worthless ICC," calling on "all members of the ICC to withdraw from the Rome Statute." 

A few days later, the military junta in Chad announced that it was withdrawing from the ICC. It said it had done so after a US request, with Washington urging other African countries to follow in the Russian-backed junta's footsteps. 

The recent sexual misconduct scandal surrounding the ICC's chief prosecutor Karim Khan, who was dismissed in July, provided more ammunition the US could aim at the court.

In August, the US imposed sanctions on the ICC's president, Japanese judge Tomoko Akane, and Abdoulaye Seye, a Senegalese trial lawyer at the court.

Sanctions launch was first anticipated during UN General Assembly

These signs had been accompanied in recent months by speculation that, before long, the US would sanction the ICC as an organization, not just members of it. 

Last month, reports circulated widely that President Donald Trump might announce the sanctions during his speech at the UN headquarters in New York, with off-the-record sources in the US and the court's seat in the Netherlands saying they were preparing for the measures. 

Trump ultimately leveled sharp criticism at the ICC in his address on September 22, calling it an "evil" organization, but at the time made no announcement of new sanctions. 

If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google, so you'll always see our verified news first.