Trump administration prepares sanctions against International Criminal Court, sources say

Trump Administration Prepares Sanctions on International Criminal Court, Sources Say

By Humeyra Pamuk and Anthony Deutsch

US Government Moves Against the International Criminal Court

WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration has prepared sanctions against the entire International Criminal Court and plans to announce them soon, two sources familiar with the matter said on Sunday, a move that would step up its attack on the global tribunal that prosecutes war crimes and genocide worldwide.

Background and Motivation for Sanctions

The Trump administration has made no secret of its disdain for the court and has worked to undermine it. US officials want the court to drop its arrest warrants against Israeli leaders as well as a past probe into American troops in Afghanistan.

Efforts to Isolate the ICC

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in July announced a campaign to isolate the court, calling on other countries to withdraw from the tribunal. Washington has imposed sanctions on a number of ICC judges and prosecutors but has so far held off from imposing sanctions on the court itself, although the move has long been considered as one of the options.

The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Details and Potential Impact of the Sanctions

Sanctions against the court have been prepared, the sources said, even though the exact timing of an announcement remained unclear. The Wall Street Journal cited officials who said the decision could be finalized as soon as this week during the United Nations General Assembly meeting.

Scope of the Sanctions

Targeting the entire organization directly, as well as entities that cooperate with it, could severely undermine the court's work.

Implications for Financial Transactions and Operations

Any entity-wide sanctions imposed by the US Treasury would prohibit US citizens and companies from providing funds, goods, or services to the court without a license from the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Banks often over-comply with such US sanctions because they depend on access to the American financial system.

Among the court's operations that could be affected by sanctions against the entire organization are the purchasing of IT services and insurance, the hiring of investigators and conducting everyday financial transactions, such as paying dozens of American employees, the ICC's registrar and president have warned.

Historical Context and US Relationship with the ICC

Trump's opposition to the court goes back to his first term. It surfaced again with a plan to penalize ​ICC officials, an idea developed ​in November 2024 when ⁠Trump was reelected and the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.

Establishment and Jurisdiction of the ICC

The ICC was established in 2002 by the international community to prosecute war crimes, ​genocide and crimes against humanity. It asserts jurisdiction only if a member state is unable or unwilling to prosecute ‌atrocities itself.

The United States has never been a member.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Anthony Deutsch and Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Sergio Non and Nick Zieminski)