Rubio targets ICC: 'Won't submit to sterile vision of radical judges':

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has criticized the International Criminal Court (ICC) during a speech to the Federalist Society in Washington, advocating for a robust foreign policy and opposing legal constraints on US actions. Rubio stated that the objective of the US-Israeli conflict against Iran is to prevent Tehran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon, emphasizing the urgency due to the Islamic Republic's radical Shia clerics' expansionist mindset.

He contrasted this with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, who he claims is not expansionist and poses no threat to neighboring countries. Rubio dismissed accusations that the Trump administration has violated international law through actions like seizing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and targeting drug-carrying vessels. He asserted that the US would not "submit to the sterile vision of radical judges or soulless global bureaucrats," emphasizing the court's attempts to prosecute US officials or service members.

Rubio's hostile stance towards the ICC, founded in 2002 to handle war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, stems from its backing by most member states and its previous sanctions on ICC staff. The US sanctions, aimed at weakening the court's operations, will commence in April unless an agreement is reached to prevent them.

If the ICC enforces its rulings against Americans, Rubio warned, Washington would respond with force, paraphrasing Roman general Pompey: "Stop quoting laws to men with swords."