The Trump administration on Friday imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) as an institution, a major escalation against the court that came hours after South African jurist Navi Pillay, one of its first judges, was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her contributions to international law.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the measures in a statement, saying that President Donald Trump "will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans." Rubio said Washington will ban transactions with what he called a "rogue court" in order to cut off its resources, and framed the choice facing it in stark terms: "Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC."
Rubio added that the United States expects its allies, many of which are ICC members and rely on American forces for their defense, to "rein in the court." He said the action was structured to give states parties room to negotiate, and that Washington would adjust its approach if talks failed.
The move builds on earlier US sanctions that already cover about half of the court's 18 judges and much of its leadership, including its president and chief prosecutor. Those measures were tied to the ICC's 2024 arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former War Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Sanctioning the court itself could bar it from conducting transactions in US dollars, cutting it off from much of the international financial system. Banks often over-comply with sanctions, which could amplify the effect. The ICC has warned that the measures could disrupt its IT services, insurance, recruitment of investigators, and routine payments, including to dozens of American staff.
ICC officials told Middle East Eye that they were prepared to withstand institutional sanctions and had alternative arrangements in place. Many have called on the European Union to activate its Blocking Statute, which protects EU companies and individuals from the extraterritorial effects of foreign sanctions, a step that would reassure European service providers that deal with the court.
Pillay, 85, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize earlier on Friday for her work to ensure that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are prosecuted. She served as a judge at the ICC and as the UN's high commissioner for human rights, and chaired the UN commission of inquiry that concluded Israel committed genocide in Gaza.
