WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s administration has prepared sanctions targeting the entire International Criminal Court (ICC) and could announce the measures soon, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The move would escalate Washington’s efforts to challenge the global tribunal, which prosecutes cases involving war crimes and genocide.
The Trump administration has openly criticised the ICC and taken steps to undermine its activities. US officials have been pressing the court to withdraw arrest warrants issued against Israeli leaders, as well as end a previous investigation into alleged war crimes involving American troops in Afghanistan.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a campaign in July aimed at isolating the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging other countries to withdraw from the tribunal. Washington has already imposed sanctions on several ICC judges and prosecutors, but has so far stopped short of sanctioning the court itself, despite the option having been under consideration for some time. The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the sources, sanctions targeting the ICC have now been prepared, although the timing of any announcement remains uncertain. The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, reported that the decision could be finalised as early as this week during the United Nations General Assembly meeting.
Sanctions directly targeting the International Criminal Court (ICC) and organisations that cooperate with it could significantly disrupt the tribunal’s operations.
Any organisation-wide sanctions imposed by the US Treasury would bar American citizens and companies from providing funds, goods or services to the ICC without a licence from the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Banks frequently take a cautious approach to US sanctions because of their reliance on access to the American financial system.
ICC officials have warned that such measures could affect a range of routine operations, including purchasing IT services and insurance, hiring investigators and carrying out everyday financial transactions. The sanctions could also complicate the payment of dozens of American employees, according to the court’s registrar and president.
President Donald Trump’s opposition to the ICC dates back to his first term in office. The issue resurfaced after his 2024 election victory, when plans were developed to penalise ICC officials following the court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the Gaza conflict.
The ICC was established in 2002 by the international community to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. The court asserts jurisdiction when a member state is unable or unwilling to prosecute such alleged atrocities itself. The United States has never been a member of the ICC.
