Rubio Says US Will 'Dismantle' the International Criminal Court
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the administration's plan to dismantle the International Criminal Court, calling on other nations to join the campaign.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that the Trump administration intends to "dismantle" the International Criminal Court (ICC) and urged other countries to participate in the campaign. Rubio accused the ICC of waging war against the United States not with bullets or missiles, but through the power of so-called international law.
The conflict dates back to Trump's first term, when the court attempted to investigate alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan. During his second term, Washington imposed a series of sanctions on ICC officials for trying to investigate the actions of the US and Israel.
In an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, Rubio wrote: "Using every tool at our government's disposal, working alongside every ally willing to act with us, we will dismantle the ICC—brick by brick if necessary."
The State Department has launched a large-scale interagency campaign aimed at the diplomatic isolation of the court. The US is not only calling on countries to reject the ICC's jurisdiction but also warning that states that continue to support the court while receiving US aid may face increased scrutiny and a review of cooperation. To achieve its goal, the US will employ full diplomatic isolation, travel bans for ICC staff, visa revocations, and harsh economic sanctions.
Rubio sees the ICC as a tool of political struggle, claiming it is run by forces hostile to Washington. He asserts that the institution is "supported and run by a powerful network of left-wing NGOs, complacent globalists, and hostile third-world governments united in their animosity toward the United States."
Senior US officials, including the Secretary of State, his deputy, and US ambassadors, are already conducting diplomatic negotiations to persuade states parties to the Rome Statute to withdraw from the ICC and cease financial support. In 2025, Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC, primarily triggered by the court's arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
