The administration of US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday, just hours after former ICC judge Navi Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize, setting Washington on a collision course with its European allies.
The court condemned the decision as an “assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order” and urged its 125 member states to take action to protect the institution, reports Reuters.
“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.
“This is not just about defending a single institution, but about safeguarding the international order grounded upon the rule of law. History will judge this moment.”
The Trump administration has long opposed the ICC, which was established in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Washington has previously imposed sanctions on the court’s prosecutors and judges.
Friday’s action goes further by potentially targeting companies that provide services to the court. The move marks an unprecedented attack on an institution established under an international treaty. The United States initially signed the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, but never ratified it.
“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.
“That is why, today, the United States is sanctioning the International Criminal Court. We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate.”
Sanctions include grace period
The US Treasury announced the sanctions with an initial six-month grace period and several exemptions. These will allow certain transactions involving telecommunications, software, pension payments and detainees to continue.
Rubio said the measures had been designed to give the court and its member states time to address Washington’s concerns.
The administration would adjust the sanctions if its demands were not met.
Washington has criticised the ICC over arrest warrants issued against Israeli officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and its investigation into the actions of US soldiers in Afghanistan. The court says the Afghanistan investigation has been “deprioritized”.
Rubio cited calls from outside experts for the ICC to prosecute American service members, border patrol agents and elected leaders. However, ICC officials have not taken steps towards such prosecutions.
“The sanctions are intended to undermine the rule of law internationally and the work that an independent judicial institution is doing,” ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told Reuters.
“Our work will continue across all our situations, our investigations and our prosecutions.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on social media that the six-month period “offers a window for dialogue”. She added that the bloc “has options to ensure that (the ICC) can continue its vital work.”
Belgium’s foreign minister called for the European Union to activate a blocking statute to shield the court from the sanctions.
The ICC has issued arrest warrants against more than 70 people, including world leaders and prominent figures involved in major international conflicts.
Besides Netanyahu, the court has sought the arrest of Hamas figures. Other individuals targeted by arrest warrants include Russian President Vladimir Putin, former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The ICC withdrew charges against Kenyan President William Ruto and former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Nobel committee highlights political attacks
Despite Washington’s calls for countries to leave the ICC, the court continues to receive strong support from most of its member states. These include all EU countries and all NATO members except the United States and Turkey. The court is headquartered in the Netherlands, which belongs to both the EU and NATO.
The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to South African jurist Navi Pillay hours before the US sanctions was explicitly presented as a show of support for international tribunals at a time when “judges and institutions of international law are under political attack”.
Pillay served on the ICC’s Appeals Chamber from 2003 to 2008.
“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 Nobel committee said.
US sanctions generally prohibit American companies from conducting business with designated organisations. The restrictions can force banks to close accounts, insurers to withdraw coverage and software providers to suspend cooperation.
During Trump’s first term, his administration imposed targeted sanctions on ICC officials. President Joe Biden later lifted those measures. Washington announced fresh sanctions just days after Trump returned to office in January 2025.
ICC officials had spent months preparing for the possibility of sanctions against the court itself. They moved office computers away from Microsoft software to open-source alternatives and made new arrangements for banking services and health insurance.
