Trump administration launches effort to isolate International Criminal Court
(Corrects paragraph 5 to state that the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu rather than an indictment, which requires an extra judicial step in the ICC system)
By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON, July 13 (Reuters) – The Trump administration has launched an effort to eliminate what the International Criminal Court has called a threat to U.S. sovereignty, a State Department official said on Monday.
President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials, such as former President George W. Bush, have long said the ICC should not have the authority to investigate and prosecute Americans, especially members of the military. Reuters revealed earlier this year that the Trump administration supported sanctions against ICC officials in part to thwart future attempts to hold him or his officials accountable for U.S. military action abroad.
The State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a wide range of options were being considered to target the ICC, including travel bans, visa cancellations, increased sanctions against the ICC and affiliates and diplomatic pressure on other nations to withdraw from the ICC.
The ICC was established in 2002 by the international community to investigate 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 of the court.
Trump’s hostility to the court dates back to his first term. The idea resurfaced in November 2024 with Trump’s re-election and the plan to punish ICC officials, which emerged when the ICC issued an arrest warrant for his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Last month, three International Criminal Court judges filed a lawsuit against Trump and his administration over the sanctions imposed on them last year, arguing that these measures were illegal.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior U.S. officials are pressuring other countries as part of a campaign to “diplomatically isolate the International Criminal Court and ensure it does not target Americans,” a State Department official said Monday.
In March 2020, ICC prosecutors launched an investigation that included looking into possible crimes committed by US troops in Afghanistan, but the US role has not been prioritized since 2021. It focused on crimes allegedly committed by the Afghan government and Taliban forces.
Countries that partner with U.S. law enforcement, host a U.S. military presence or benefit from the broader U.S. security umbrella are “called upon to reject the ICC’s purported authority to prosecute American officials and soldiers,” the official said.
Nations that refuse to accept the ICC by relying on U.S. aid will likely face increased scrutiny, the official said.
“We will be watching with interest to see which nations join ranks with us against this threat to Americans who are willing to risk their lives to protect others,” the official said.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Sergio Non and Nia Williams)
