US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Friday that Washington is sanctioning the International Criminal Court as an institution. Earlier measures targeted individual judges and prosecutors; Al Jazeera called the new step a major escalation.
In a video posted on social media on Friday, Rubio said: 「Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC.」 According to Al Jazeera, the measure targets the court as an entity, rather than its officials or groups that support it, a first.
광고 문의 · 300×250The administration gave two reasons. One is the ICC's investigation into abuses in Afghanistan, which could implicate US military and intelligence personnel. The other is the court's arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
What the sanctions do
Al Jazeera reported that the sanctions block all property and interests in property the court holds in the United States and bar the provision of funds, goods or services to or for the court. Companies that serve the court could be penalised. The State Department said temporary exemptions cover services such as maintenance, technology and pension plans, to give States Parties time to address US concerns.
The ICC has about 900 staff. Scholar William Schabas said the court has prepared for more than a year, moving some US-made software to European alternatives and ending its relationship with the French insurer Axa, which also does business in the US. He said the real impact remains unclear.
Reaction and background
Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan said the sanctions 「must be condemned」, that the court's work will continue, and urged member states to redouble their support. Netanyahu welcomed the move and thanked the administration for its 「leadership」. UN News reported that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticised the step.
Neither the United States nor Israel is a party to the Rome Statute, but the court has held that acts by their nationals on the territory of member states can be prosecuted; it has not sought to prosecute any US citizen. Washington had already sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors, a UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories and Palestinian rights groups that gave evidence to the court, and some of those cases are in US federal court. In July, Chad and Venezuela moved to withdraw, following Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
Al Jazeera noted that hours before the announcement the Nobel Peace Prize went to former ICC judge Navi Pillay, who oversaw a 2025 UN report concluding that Israel's actions in Gaza amounted to genocide.
