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The U.S. on Friday imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court, escalating Washington’s campaign against the Hague-based tribunal as the court, the European Union and several U.S. allies rejected the move and pledged continued support for the institution.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would prohibit transactions with what he called a “rogue court,” arguing that the measures were necessary to prevent the ICC from prosecuting U.S. citizens and officials.
“President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans,” Rubio said.
“Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC,” he added, warning that Washington would continue working to dismantle the institution “brick by brick” if its concerns were not addressed.
The sanctions were announced hours after South African jurist Navi Pillay, a former ICC judge, was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. Pillay previously headed the Rwanda genocide tribunal and later led a U.N. commission that concluded Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.
Rubio’s statement did not mention Pillay or the Nobel award.
The ICC condemned the U.S. action as “an assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order.”
The court said the sanctions were intended to obstruct justice, disrupt its operations and intimidate staff and those who cooperate with it.
“History will judge this moment,” the ICC said.
ICC President Tomoko Akane said the court would continue carrying out its mandate independently and impartially, based only on law and evidence.
“The Court will continue to fully discharge its mandate, with independence and impartiality, acting only on the basis of the law and the evidence, for the sake of the countless victims of grave crimes,” Akane said.
The court called on its 125 member states to take action in its defense, saying its future also depended on the countries that established it.
The European Union said it “deeply regretted” Washington’s decision and pledged to work closely with the ICC to ensure it could continue operating effectively.
The European Commission noted that the sanctions will not take effect for six months, saying the delay could provide room for dialogue.
The EU said it was prepared to take measures needed to allow the court to continue investigating and prosecuting war crimes and crimes against humanity while also protecting the interests of businesses operating in the bloc’s single market.
One possible response is the EU’s blocking mechanism, which can prohibit European companies from complying with U.S. sanctions through action or deliberate omission.
Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen has described the mechanism as a “nuclear option,” while saying the Netherlands had asked Brussels to prepare it.
Berendsen also said the Netherlands, as the ICC’s host country and a party to the Rome Statute, would continue supporting the court and helping ensure it could operate effectively.
Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and the United Kingdom also issued a joint statement backing the ICC.
“As committed supporters of the ICC we regret and strongly disagree with the announcement of sanctions to be imposed upon the Court by the United States,” their foreign ministers said.
The U.S. is not a member of the ICC and does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction over American citizens.
Washington had previously imposed sanctions on individual ICC officials, including prosecutors and judges. In August, it sanctioned several officials, including ICC President Tomoko Akane.
Trump last month called on all ICC member states to leave the court, describing it as “out of control” and a “rogue institution.”
Rubio said Washington had spent more than a year outlining what he called “basic gestures of good faith” expected from the court but saw no “meaningful steps” to address U.S. concerns.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the U.S. sanctions.
“I commend President Donald Trump and Sec Rubio for taking this critical decision to sanction the ICC,” Netanyahu said on X.
“The ICC is not a court. It is a political body that poses a mortal threat to law abiding democracies worldwide and to the very idea of national sovereignty,” he added.
The ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged crimes in Gaza.
The U.S., which strongly opposed the warrants, said it did not recognize the court’s decision.
Trump has said Rubio’s campaign against the ICC was intended to protect Netanyahu rather than himself.
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