The United States has applied sanctions to the International Criminal Court (ICC), with US officials labelling the court a rogue institution that must be dismantled.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the sanctions, which ban US entities from transacting with the ICC, are designed to protect American sovereignty and prevent the court from prosecuting US citizens.
The ICC has rejected the sanctions, calling them an assault on the rule of law and the foundations of international legal order.
The sanctions were announced shortly after former ICC judge Navi Pillay was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her work promoting peace and international law.
Previously, the US had sanctioned 17 ICC judges and officials, but the new measures target the court itself with the goal of financially crippling its operations.
Washington has introduced a six-month grace period for some sanctions, allowing member states to continue funding the ICC, to provide time for negotiations over US concerns.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described the US decision as a serious blow to international criminal justice, in which the ICC plays a key role.
The UK has joined Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands in reaffirming support for the ICC.
The ICC was established in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, and has 125 member states.
The US administration believes the ICC is controlled by globalists who threaten American sovereignty, and it is angry about a past investigation into US actions in Afghanistan, which was closed, and arrest warrants for Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The sanctions do not require the warrants to be withdrawn.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would not allow the ICC to prosecute Americans, stating that either the ICC will end its threats or the US will end the ICC.
The sanctions prevent US companies from providing goods or services to the ICC, such as banking or software.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the sanctions had been delayed to allow time for a solution to US concerns and urged allies to rein in the institution.
The Netherlands, which hosts the court in The Hague and is a Nato ally of the US, has faced particular pressure. Its Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen has said the sanctions would seriously affect the court’s ability to function.
The ICC said the sanctions were aimed at disrupting its work and intimidating those who cooperate with it, but it will not be deterred.
It described the measures as an assault on the rule of law and said history will judge this moment.
This could mark the gravest crisis in the 24-year history of the ICC, as the US is now sanctioning the court itself rather than individual judges and prosecutors.
Former ICC judge Navi Pillay, who received the Nobel Peace Prize, dedicated the award to survivors of international crime.
COMMENTS