In a dramatic escalation, Washington has unleashed sanctions on four top International Criminal Court officials, branding the ICC a threat to American sovereignty and Israeli legitimacy.
The Trump administration has delivered a seismic diplomatic blow to the International Criminal Court (ICC), slapping sanctions on four of its senior members for daring to pursue investigations against US and Israeli officials.
Those targeted include ICC judges Kimberly Prost (Canada) and Nicolas Guillou (France), along with deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan (Fiji) and Mame Mandiaye Niang (Senegal).
According to the State Department, these officials crossed a red line by attempting to prosecute American and Israeli nationals without consent.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio blasted the ICC as guilty of “politicization, abuse of power, disregard for national sovereignty, and illegitimate judicial overreach.” He declared that Washington considers the Court a national security threat and vowed to take “whatever actions necessary to protect our troops, our sovereignty, and our allies.”
The sanctions:
- Ban US citizens and banks from doing business with the four ICC officials.
- Freeze assets linked to them in the United States.
- Impose tangible and painful consequences, according to the Treasury.
This move follows earlier sanctions on ICC prosecutor Karim Khan and UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese. Republican lawmakers are now pushing legislation to expand the crackdown further.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the US decision as a “firm measure against the mendacious smear campaign against Israel and the IDF.”
The clash marks one of the most aggressive US pushbacks against an international body in recent years — signaling that under Trump, Washington will not bow to global courts challenging American and Israeli sovereignty.
