US Imposes Direct Sanctions on International Criminal Court in Major Escalation

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced a new set of sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), marking a direct escalation by targeting the entity itself rather than just individual tribunal officials or supporting groups.

Speaking in a video posted on social media on Friday, Rubio stated that the administration of US President Donald Trump is pursuing an “all of government” approach to dismantle the tribunal. “We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling their ability to operate against us because our message is clear: the United States and the American people are not subject to the jurisdiction of this fake ICC,” Rubio declared.

The administration justified the move by pointing to the court’s ongoing investigation into abuses committed in Afghanistan, which could potentially involve US military and intelligence personnel, alongside the ICC’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoaf Gallant concerning war crimes in Gaza.

Prior to these latest measures, the US had already sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors, a UN special rapporteur focused on the occupied Palestinian territories, and Palestinian rights groups supplying evidence to the court. These actions have prompted legal challenges from rights organizations and sanctioned ICC judges in US federal courts over constitutional freedoms.

Deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan condemned the sanctions in an interview with the Reuters news agency on Friday, stating they are intended to undermine international the rule of law and an independent judicial institution. “Our work will continue across all our situations, our investigations and our prosecutions,” Khan emphasized.

Although the US and Israel are not parties to the Rome Statute, the court maintains jurisdiction over abuses committed by citizens of non-member states on the territories of ICC member countries. Rights observers warn that the pressure campaign could severely impact the court’s investigative networks, even as several nations have recently moved to withdraw from the treaty.