Individuals stand outside the International Criminal Court (ICC) as the United States is thinking about enforcing sanctions as quickly as today versus the whole International Criminal Court, in The Hague, Netherlands, September 22, 2025.|Image Credit: REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
The United States is thinking about enforcing sanctions as quickly as today versus the whole International Criminal Court, putting the court’s everyday operations in jeopardy in retaliation for examinations of presumed Israeli war criminal offenses.
Washington has actually currently enforced targeted sanctions on numerous district attorneys and judges at the court, however calling the court itself in the sanctions list would be a significant escalation.
6 sources with understanding of the matter, all speaking on condition of privacy to talk about a delicate diplomatic concern that has actually not been openly revealed, stated a choice on such “entity sanctions” was anticipated quickly.
A source stated court authorities had actually currently held emergency situation internal conferences to go over the effect of possible blanket sanctions. 2 other sources stated conferences had actually likewise been held of court member state diplomats.
One U.S. authorities, speaking on the condition of privacy to go over delicate matters, verified that entity-wide sanctions were being weighed however did not elaborate on the timing of the possible relocation.
A State Department representative implicated the court of asserting what it stated was its “purported jurisdiction” over U.S. and Israeli workers and stated that Washington was going to take more actions although the representative did not state precisely what.
“It (the ICC) has the opportunity to change course by making critical and appropriate structural changes. The U.S. will take additional steps to protect our brave service members and others as long as the ICC continues to present a threat to our national interests,” the representative stated.
WAGES PAID IN ADVANCE
Sanctions used to the court as an entity might impact its fundamental everyday operations, from its capability to pay its personnel, to its access to checking account and regular workplace software application on its computer systems.
To reduce the prospective damage, ICC personnel got incomes this month beforehand for the rest of 2025, 3 sources stated, though this is not the very first time the court has actually paid incomes beforehand as a safety measure in case of sanctions.
The court is likewise looking for option providers for banking services and software application, 3 sources stated. The ICC, based in The Hague, has actually prosecuted Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and previous Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, along with figures from the Hamas militant group, for declared criminal activities dedicated throughout the Gaza war. Washington has actually formerly targeted court authorities with sanctions for their functions in those cases and in a different examination into believed criminal offenses in Afghanistan, which at first had actually taken a look at actions by U.S. soldiers.
ICC STATES PUSH BACK AT UN
3 diplomatic sources stated a few of the ICC’s 125 member nations would attempt to press back versus extra U.S. sanctions throughout a U.N. General Assembly in New York today.
All signs are that Washington will scale up its attack on the ICC, 4 diplomatic sources in The Hague and New York stated.
“The road of individual sanctions has been exhausted. It is now more about when, rather than if, they will take the next step,” a senior diplomat stated.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has actually called the court “a national security threat that has been an instrument for lawfare” versus the United States and its ally Israel.
The court was established in 2002 under a treaty providing it jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, criminal offenses versus humankind and war criminal activities that were either dedicated by a resident of a member state or had actually happened on a member’s area.
Israel and the United States are not members. The court acknowledges the state of Palestine as a member and has actually ruled that this provides it jurisdiction over actions on Palestinian area. Israel and the United States decline this. In February, the White House enforced sanctions on the court’s lead district attorney, Karim Khan, who had actually asked for the warrants versus Netanyahu and Gallant. Khan is on leave amidst a continuous examination into sexual misbehavior accusations which he rejects.
Released on September 22, 2025
