ICC says it ‘will not be deterred’ by new US sanctions

President Donald Trump publicly criticised Navi Pillay hours after the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the former International Criminal Court judge the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote peace and international law. Trump reacted “sourly” to the prize committee’s choice of winner this year and last, after having previously expressed a desire to receive the award himself. He criticised Pillay for being part of a panel that accused Israel, as well as Hamas, of war crimes during the 7 October conflict.

Hours after the Nobel announcement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sweeping sanctions on the International Criminal Court, saying the measures — which include a ban on US entities making transactions with the ICC — were intended to “defend US sovereignty” and accusing the court of seeking to prosecute Americans. “Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC,” Rubio said.

The US sanctions stop American companies from providing goods or services to the ICC, such as banking or software, cutting off the tribunal’s access to a key category of US-based resources. Rubio said Washington had delayed imposing the sanctions in the hope that the ICC and its member countries would address US concerns, and that the measures had been structured to allow other countries to negotiate a possible solution. He also called on US allies that were ICC signatories to “rein in” the institution.

The ICC responded by calling the sanctions “an assault on the rule of law and the foundations of the international legal order,” and said the measures were aimed at disrupting its work and intimidating those who co-operate with it. The court added that it “will not be deterred.”

The Trump administration has repeatedly criticised the court, including over its investigation into the actions of US forces in Afghanistan — a probe the court has since deprioritised. The administration has also been critical of the ICC for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The United States maintains that the ICC has no jurisdiction over it because Washington never ratified the statute founding the court, though the international tribunal has investigated US actions elsewhere.