US Prepares Sanctions Against the Entire International Criminal Court
The Trump administration has prepared sanctions targeting the International Criminal Court as an institution and plans to announce them soon, with a decision possibly coming this week during the UN General Assembly session.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has prepared sanctions against the entire International Criminal Court (ICC) and plans to announce them in the near future, Reuters reports, citing two informed sources.
American officials are demanding that the ICC withdraw arrest warrants against senior Israeli officials and halt its investigation into the actions of US military personnel in Afghanistan. Washington has already imposed sanctions on several ICC judges and prosecutors, but has so far held back from sanctioning the court itself as an institution, even though such a step has long been considered an option.
Sources told the news agency that sanctions against the court have already been prepared, though the exact timing of their announcement remains unknown. The Wall Street Journal, citing officials, reported that a final decision could be made as early as this week, during the UN General Assembly session.
Warning of Consequences
The ICC's registrar and president have warned that imposing sanctions directly on the entire organization and the structures cooperating with it could seriously undermine the court's work. According to them, such restrictions could block procurement of IT services, insurance, the hiring of investigators, and everyday financial transactions. Salary payments to dozens of American staff working within the tribunal's structure could also be at risk.
Background of the Conflict
The ICC was established by the international community in 2002 to prosecute individuals responsible for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. The court exercises jurisdiction only when a member state is unable or unwilling to prosecute the perpetrators itself. The United States has never ratified the Rome Statute and has never been a party to the court.
Trump's confrontation with the ICC dates back to his first presidential term and reignited after his re-election, when the court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza military operation. In September 2026, a US representative reportedly asked NATO ambassadors at a closed meeting in Brussels to help dismantle the ICC. In August, the US had already imposed sanctions on the court's president and a senior ICC judicial advocate.
