The latest measures aim to limit resources to international tribunals that the Trump administration has vowed to dismantle.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced a new set of sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), this time targeting the court itself rather than its staff or organizations providing support.
Friday’s announcement represents the latest escalation by President Donald Trump’s administration, which has vowed a “whole-of-government” effort to dismantle the court.
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“We will prohibit doing business with this fraudulent court, cut off their resources, and paralyze their ability to fight us, because our message is clear: America and its people are not under the jurisdiction of this fake ICC,” Rubio said in a video posted on social media. “Either the ICC stops making threats, or we stop the ICC.”
The administration cited the court’s continuing investigation into human rights abuses in Afghanistan, which could trap U.S. military and intelligence personnel, as well as the ICC’s arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes in Gaza, as justification for its actions.
Prior to Friday’s action, the U.S. had sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors, the U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, and Palestinian rights groups that submitted evidence to the court.
Several rights groups challenged these sanctions in U.S. federal court, arguing that restricting how Americans interact with the courts tramples on constitutional liberties.
An ICC-accredited judge has also launched a legal challenge in the United States.
Speaking to Reuters on Friday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nazzat Shameem Khan said the sanctions “must be condemned”.
“Sanctions are aimed at undermining the international rule of law and the work carried out by independent judiciary institutions,” Khan said. “Our work continues across all situations, investigations and prosecutions.”
The United States and Israel are not parties to the Rome Statute, the founding treaty that establishes the court’s jurisdiction. However, courts have long held that human rights violations committed by U.S. or Israeli nationals on the territory of ICC member states can be prosecuted.
So far, courts have not called for prosecution of U.S. citizens.
Human rights watchdogs said the U.S. pressure campaign could have far-reaching implications for the court’s investigation, particularly the network of local organizations and fact-checkers it relies on to substantiate cases.
The United States also urged other countries to withdraw from the court and indicated that it would evaluate allies’ relationships with the court when deciding on foreign aid.
The appeal echoes concerns from some ICC member states that criminals from the Global South are likely to be held accountable and what they call an unequal application of international law.
In July, Chad and Venezuela joined Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in withdrawing from the court.
Friday’s announcement came just hours after South African jurist and former ICC judge Navi Pillay was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The jury said the award was given at a time when “judges and the institutions of international law are under political attack”.
“An international legal system that holds war criminals accountable and justice for victims of abuse is a prerequisite for a peaceful world,” they said.
