Trump admin hits ICC with sanctions hours after former judge wins Nobel Peace Prize
The Donald Trump administration has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), escalating Washington’s confrontation with the international tribunal just hours after former ICC judge Navi Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize, Reuters and CNN report.
The sanctions, announced on Friday, drew strong condemnation from the court, which described the move as an “assault on the rule of law” and urged its 125 member states to defend the institution.
“The Court cannot stand alone. Its fate now rests also in the hands of the states that created it,” the ICC said in a statement, warning that the decision threatened the international order based on the rule of law.
The latest measures go beyond previous US sanctions targeting individual ICC prosecutors and judges. They could also penalise companies providing services to the court, potentially disrupting its banking, insurance, software and other essential operations.
“President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement first published by Reuters.
Rubio said the United States would prohibit transactions with the court to cut off its resources and undermine its ability to operate.
The US Treasury announced an initial six-month grace period for the sanctions, alongside exemptions covering certain telecommunications, software, pension payments and transactions involving detainees. Rubio said the measures could be adjusted depending on whether the court and its member states addressed Washington’s concerns.
Dispute over Israel and US personnel
Washington has repeatedly criticised the ICC over its arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and its investigation into alleged crimes involving US forces in Afghanistan.
The court has said its Afghanistan investigation has been deprioritised. ICC officials have not taken steps towards prosecuting the US service members, border patrol agents or elected leaders cited in Rubio’s statement.
ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told Reuters that the sanctions were intended to undermine the rule of law and the work of an independent judicial institution.
She said the court would continue its investigations and prosecutions despite the US measures.
The announcement has also raised concerns among European allies. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the six-month grace period offered an opportunity for dialogue, while stressing that the bloc had options to ensure the ICC could continue its work.
Belgium’s foreign minister called for the activation of an EU blocking statute to protect the court from the effects of the US sanctions.
The ICC, established in 2002 to prosecute genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, has issued arrest warrants against more than 70 people linked to international conflicts and alleged atrocities.
Those targeted have included Netanyahu, Hamas figures, Russian President Vladimir Putin, former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Charges against Kenyan President William Ruto and former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta were subsequently withdrawn.
Although the United States initially signed the Rome Statute establishing the court, it never ratified the treaty and is not a member of the ICC.
Nobel Prize highlights pressure on international justice
The sanctions came hours after South African jurist Navi Pillay received the Nobel Peace Prize. Pillay served on the ICC’s Appeals Chamber from 2003 to 2008.
The Nobel committee explicitly framed the award as support for international tribunals at a time when judges and institutions of international law face political pressure.
“An international legal system in which war criminals are held to account and the victims of abuse see justice served is a precondition for a peaceful world,” the committee said.
The ICC has continued to receive backing from most of its member states, including all EU countries and NATO members except the United States and Turkey. The court is headquartered in the Netherlands.
The Trump administration previously imposed targeted sanctions on ICC officials during his first term, but those measures were rescinded under former President Joe Biden. Washington announced fresh sanctions against court officials shortly after Trump returned to office in January 2025.
Anticipating broader restrictions, ICC officials have spent months preparing operational alternatives, including replacing Microsoft software on office computers with open-source systems and making alternative arrangements for banking and health insurance.