US Sanctions International Criminal Court and Threatens Further Action

The Trump administration imposed new sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday, October 9, 2026, directly targeting the institution over its investigations and legal actions involving US and Israeli personnel. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the measures, warning that Washington would seek to dismantle the court unless it changed its approach.

Under the sanctions, assets belonging to the ICC within US jurisdiction are blocked, and American companies and individuals are generally prohibited from conducting business with the court. The Treasury Department is temporarily permitting certain services to continue and has provided a 180-day period for the court's member states to address Washington's objections.

Rubio outlined the administration's position in announcing the restrictions.

"Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC," said Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State.

Washington has long opposed the ICC's investigation of alleged war crimes committed by US personnel in Afghanistan and its arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over alleged crimes in Gaza. Neither the United States nor Israel is a party to the Rome Statute, which established the court. The ICC maintains that it can prosecute crimes committed in territories under its jurisdiction, even when suspects are nationals of countries that have not joined the treaty.

Rubio has previously called the institution a "fatally politicized supranational court" and accused it of having "maliciously abused its authority." He reiterated his determination to dismantle the institution if necessary, describing the effort as proceeding "brick by brick."

The secretary of state also said the administration had left room for negotiations with the countries participating in the court.

"We have structured this action to provide an opportunity for States Parties to negotiate and present a solution to address our concerns," said Rubio.

He outlined the consequences if those discussions fail to resolve the dispute.

"If these efforts do not bear fruit, we will continue to adjust accordingly," Rubio said.

The ICC condemned the US designation, describing it as an attempt to interfere with its judicial work and intimidate people cooperating with the institution. The court characterized the sanctions as "an assault on the rule of law."

ICC President Tomoko Akane said the institution would continue carrying out its responsibilities independently.

"The Court will continue to fully discharge its mandate, with independence and impartiality," said Tomoko Akane, president of the International Criminal Court.

The court also appealed to its 125 member states for assistance in maintaining adequate resources to continue operating. Its membership includes most US allies in Europe, every NATO member except Turkey, as well as Canada, Japan and Australia.

The sanctions announcement followed the Norwegian Nobel Committee's decision earlier Friday to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, a South African-born human rights official who served as an ICC judge from 2003 to 2008. She later became United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and currently serves on the International Court of Justice, a separate institution.

Pillay also chaired a United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In September 2025, the panel said there were "reasonable grounds" to conclude that "the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have committed and are continuing to commit" acts of genocide.

Israel strongly disputed the findings. Its foreign minister described the report as "fake" and said it "relies entirely on Hamas falsehoods, laundered and repeated by others."

After the Nobel announcement, Pillay addressed the political pressure facing international legal institutions.

"We are living through an era when international law and human rights are under significant political attack," said Navi Pillay.

She also specifically referred to the campaign against the ICC.

"This worsening reality is particularly visible with the attacks on the International Criminal Court," Pillay said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office criticized the Nobel Committee's decision, saying it "has lost its moral compass." The office further accused Pillay of promoting allegations against Israel.

"It has awarded its highest honor to a bigot who built her career around inventing and propagating blood libels against the one and only Jewish state," Netanyahu's office said in a post on X.

The US sanctions also follow a speech Rubio delivered Wednesday in Athens, where he criticized Western governments for transferring national authority to international institutions. Speaking against the backdrop of the Acropolis, he argued that such arrangements had weakened national control over decision-making.

"[W]ith every passing year, we seemed to outsource more of our sovereignty, transferring our decisions to global bureaucracies far beyond the reach of our control," Rubio said.