The United States has announced new financial sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), escalating its dispute with the tribunal over war crimes investigations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the measures on Friday, accusing the court of unfairly targeting American.
“Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC. We don’t need that court and we don’t want it,” Rubio said in a video posted on X,” Rubio declared.
The sanctions will freeze ICC assets held under US jurisdiction and give American businesses and individuals six months to end most transactions with the court.
The ICC strongly condemned the move, accusing Washington of attempting to undermine international justice.
“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,” the court said.
The Trump administration has repeatedly criticised the ICC over arrest warrants issued for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The court also previously investigated alleged wrongdoing by American troops in Afghanistan, although that investigation has since closed.
Trump previously sanctioned the court during his first presidency, with further measures introduced after his return to office in 2025.
