ICC rejects US sanctions imposed on the court as an institution

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Friday 9 October 2026 rejected sanctions that the United States imposed on it the same day. It is the first time Washington has designated the court itself, not only its officials. “Today, the United States has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court as an institution. This unprecedented step follows a series of designations against thirteen independent Judges and prosecutors who serve the cause of justice,” the court said in a statement, as reported by the Indian news agency ANI. Kai Times could not open the ICC press release directly. The quoted wording matches a search-engine copy of the release and media reports of it.

The court said the measure was intended to disrupt its operations and to intimidate people who work for it or cooperate with it, according to ANI and Shafaqna. “This measure targets an independent judicial institution, created by treaty and entrusted by 125 States Parties with investigating and prosecuting genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression,” the statement said, as quoted by Shafaqna.

What Washington announced

The United States Department of State said in a fact sheet that the ICC is being designated under section 1(a)(ii)(A) of Executive Order 14203, “Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court”. It said 17 persons had already been sanctioned under that order. The court’s own count of 13 refers to judges and prosecutors. Al Jazeera reported that earlier US designations also covered a United Nations special rapporteur and Palestinian rights groups. Subject to licences and exceptions, all ICC property and interests in property in the United States or held by US persons are now blocked and must be reported to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the State Department said.

At the same time the Treasury issued general licences. The fact sheet lists four: a 180-day licence for certain activity, including maintaining the court’s operations; one for IT services, including cloud and software; one for the ICC pension plan; and one for certain activity related to ICC detainees. The State Department said the 180-day licence is meant “to provide time for States Parties to demonstrate meaningful progress on diplomatic and legal resolutions that address fundamental U.S. concerns regarding the ICC.” Kai Times could not open the text of the licences.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement: “President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans.” He added: “We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate.” Rubio said the United States had “deferred this designation out of respect for our relationships”, and that the action was structured so that States Parties could “negotiate and present a solution to address our concerns.” In a video posted on social media he said: “Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC.”

Background and reactions

Washington has cited the court’s investigation in Afghanistan and its arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, Al Jazeera reported. Neither the United States nor Israel is a party to the Rome Statute, the court’s founding treaty. The court has about 900 staff, according to Al Jazeera. The announcement came hours after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Navi Pillay, a former ICC judge.

In its statement the court called on member states to support it. “History will judge this moment,” it said, as quoted by Al Jazeera. Shafaqna quoted ICC President Tomoko Akane as saying the court would “continue to fully discharge its mandate, with independence and impartiality”. Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told Reuters that the sanctions “must be condemned”, Al Jazeera reported.

Shafaqna reported that a spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described the sanctions as a “serious blow to our collective pursuit of international criminal justice”. The same outlet said Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the European Union had criticised the decision. Kai Times could not verify the UN and European reactions with a primary source. Netanyahu welcomed the decision. “Thank you for your leadership,” he said in a post on social media, according to Al Jazeera.

Rubio said in his statement that if these efforts do not bear fruit, the United States would “continue to adjust accordingly”. The statement did not say what further steps that could mean.

Kai Times could not open the web pages of the ICC and the State Department directly. Their wording was checked against search-engine copies of those pages and against media reports.