The administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed sweeping sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), just hours after former ICC judge Navi Pillay was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions on Friday (Oct. 9), targeting the court itself rather than only individual judges and prosecutors, marking a major escalation in Washington’s confrontation with the international tribunal.
The measures are expected to restrict financial transactions and services provided to the ICC by American companies, potentially affecting the court’s banking, insurance and technology operations.
Rubio said the United States would not allow the court to prosecute American citizens and called on Washington’s allies to address US concerns about the tribunal.
The Trump administration has repeatedly accused the ICC of unfairly targeting Americans and Israelis, particularly over investigations involving US military personnel and arrest warrants issued against Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The ICC strongly condemned the sanctions, describing them as an attack on international law and urging its 125 member states to defend the institution.
ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan said the measures would not prevent the court from continuing its investigations and prosecutions.
The announcement came hours after South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, who served as an ICC judge from 2003 to 2008 and later as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, received the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognised Pillay for her efforts to promote peace and international law, highlighting her contribution to holding perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide accountable.
The ICC, headquartered in The Hague, was established in 2002 to prosecute serious international crimes when national judicial systems are unable or unwilling to do so. (Newswire)
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