United States President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), threatening to cut off its resources and cripple its operations over the court's efforts to prosecute American citizens.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions on Friday, accusing the court of targeting Americans and describing it as a “rogue court.”
“President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans,” Rubio said in a statement.
He added that the United States would prohibit transactions with the court in a move aimed at restricting its resources and undermining its ability to operate.
The sanctions come amid longstanding tensions between Washington and the ICC, particularly over the court's arrest warrants against Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and its previous investigation into alleged crimes committed by US soldiers in Afghanistan.
However, the ICC's Deputy Prosecutor, Nazhat Shameem Khan, condemned the decision, insisting that the sanctions would not prevent the court from carrying out its responsibilities.
“The sanctions are intended to undermine the rule of law internationally and the work that an independent judicial institution is doing,” Khan told Reuters.
She added that the court would continue its investigations, prosecutions and other activities despite the American measures.
Established in 2002, the ICC prosecutes individuals accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The court has 125 member states, including all European Union countries.
The United States is not a member of the court, which is headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands.
The latest sanctions could have broader consequences than previous US measures targeting individual ICC officials, as they may affect companies that provide services to the institution.
US sanctions generally restrict American companies from conducting business with designated entities, potentially disrupting access to banking, insurance and software services.
However, shortly after announcing the measures, the US Treasury Department issued four general licences permitting certain transactions involving the court's telecommunications, software, pension payments and detainees.
In anticipation of possible sanctions, the ICC had reportedly begun moving some office computers away from Microsoft software to open-source alternatives. It had also been making alternative arrangements for banking and health insurance.
Rubio said Washington had delayed imposing the sanctions in the hope that the ICC and countries that are parties to its founding Rome Statute would address American concerns.
“Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC,” he said.
The US secretary of state also urged American allies, many of which are members of the court, to intervene and address Washington's objections.
He said the sanctions were designed to give ICC member states an opportunity to negotiate a resolution to the dispute.
Meanwhile, the announcement coincided with the awarding of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navi Pillay, a former judge of the ICC Appeals Chamber who served from 2003 to 2008.
The Nobel Committee said the award was intended to highlight the importance of international law at a time when judges and legal institutions face increasing political pressure.
The development is expected to intensify diplomatic tensions between Washington and its European allies, many of which support the ICC and are parties to its founding treaty.
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