The Trump administration announced sweeping sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday, escalating its campaign against the tribunal over its pursuit of war crimes cases involving American and Israeli officials.
The latest measures target the ICC as an institution, rather than individual judges or prosecutors, and are intended to severely restrict its ability to operate through the American financial system.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions in a video statement posted on social media, accusing the court of exceeding its authority and pursuing politically motivated cases against citizens of countries that do not recognize its jurisdiction.
“We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate against us," Rubio declared. “The United States and the American people are not subject to the jurisdiction of this fake ICC."
Under the new restrictions, any assets belonging to the ICC within US jurisdiction will be frozen. American individuals and companies maintaining business relationships with the tribunal will have six months to terminate those arrangements.
The announcement came shortly after South African prosecutor Navi Pillay, who previously led investigations into possible ICC charges against American military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. However, the administration's decision to impose the sanctions had been made well before the award was announced, according to The Associated Press.
Rubio argued that concerns about the court's activities extend across the American political spectrum, although he credited President Donald Trump with taking decisive action against the institution.
“Both parties agree on this, but only President Trump has the resolve to take the action needed to end this threat once and for all," Rubio said. “Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC."
The secretary of state also called on American allies that belong to the ICC to support Washington's efforts to restrict the court's activities.
Those countries include several European members of NATO and Japan, which maintain close defense relationships with the United States.
“We expect our allies, many of whom are part of the ICC and that rely on American service members for their defense, to rein in this rogue court," Rubio said. “If they do not, the United States will continue its campaign to dismantle the ICC, piece by piece, until Americans are threatened no longer."
The ICC strongly condemned the American sanctions, accusing Washington of attempting to undermine an independent judicial institution and interfere with its investigations.
In an official statement, the court noted that the new measures followed previous American sanctions against individual members of the tribunal.
"Today, the United States has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court as an institution. This unprecedented step follows a series of designations against thirteen independent Judges and prosecutors who serve the cause of justice."
The court emphasized that it was established through an international treaty and is supported by 125 member states, which have authorized it to investigate and prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.
"This measure targets an independent judicial institution, created by treaty and entrusted by 125 States Parties with investigating and prosecuting genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. It is an attempt to obstruct the course of justice and to prevent the Court from doing what it was created to do. It is an assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order which strikes at the simple principle that no one stands above the law," the statement added.
The ICC further accused the United States of attempting to intimidate court personnel and individuals cooperating with its investigations.
"The designation is aimed at disrupting the Court’s operations and at intimidating those who work for or cooperate with the Court. The Court, for its part, will not be deterred."
ICC President Tomoko Akane pledged that the tribunal would continue its activities despite the financial restrictions.
“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" said Akane.
The court also appealed to its member states to provide practical assistance to ensure that its operations could continue.
It called on governments "to continue taking concrete actions, including to ensure that the Court continues to have the necessary means to continue its work. This is not just about defending a single institution, but about safeguarding the international order grounded upon the rule of law."
The ICC concluded its response with a warning about the broader implications of the American measures.
"No one should be punished for serving the cause of justice. History will judge this moment. Future generations, and above all the victims of mass atrocities, will ask how we responded when an institution created to protect them came under attack. They will ask whether the Court held firm and whether the international community defended the principles it proclaimed or allowed them to be abandoned under pressure," the statement concluded.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the US move, saying, “I commend President Trump and Secretary Rubio for taking this critical decision to sanction the ICC."
“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. Thank you for your leadership," added Netanyahu.
The latest sanctions represent a significant expansion of the Trump administration's longstanding campaign against the ICC, which began shortly after Trump returned to the White House.
In February 2025, Trump signed an executive order authorizing sanctions against the tribunal.
Four ICC judges were subsequently sanctioned in June 2025 over what Washington described as the court's “illegitimate actions" against the United States and Israel.
Two of those judges had participated in authorizing arrest warrants issued in November 2024 against Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The other two had approved an investigation into alleged misconduct by American personnel in Afghanistan.
The administration expanded the sanctions in August 2025, targeting four senior ICC officials involved in proceedings against American and Israeli figures.
Additional measures followed in December, when Rubio announced sanctions against two more ICC judges over their involvement in cases concerning Israel.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)