US announces sanctions on ICC, hours after Nobel award to former judge

The United States on Friday sanctioned the International Criminal Court (ICC), a move timed just hours after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to a former ICC judge who had cautioned about escalating political attacks against the court. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared the sanctions would cripple the tribunal's operations and vowed to "end the ICC" if it persisted with threats.

The exemptions in the sanctions allowed for a six-month grace period, aimed at giving member states time to address US concerns. However, several countries including Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom strongly disagreed with the decision, while the UN Secretary-General and the European Union called it a "serious blow" and "deeply regrettable."

Amnesty International urged countries to resist the sanctions, arguing they were intended to isolate and destroy the court. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces an ICC arrest warrant, praised the US action, stating the ICC is a political body posing a mortal threat to democracies. The US sanctions did not mention the Nobel laureate or the award, but Secretary of State Rubio insisted the measures were necessary to protect security personnel and elected officials from potential prosecution by a court the US has never joined. President Trump had previously vowed not to allow the ICC to prosecute Americans.