
The administration of US President Donald Trump is preparing to impose broad sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), in a significant escalation of Washington's clash with the Hague-based institution.
According to The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials and documents reviewed by the newspaper, the proposed measures would ban most financial transactions with the ICC after a transition period of six to seven months.
The restrictions could significantly impact the functioning of the Court, making it difficult to use the US dollar and access important parts of the international financial system.
A final decision has not yet been made. The measures could be finalized during the week of the United Nations General Assembly or in the days following.
The clash between Washington and the ICC deepened after the issuance in 2024 of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war in Gaza. Both have denied the charges.
The Trump administration has previously imposed sanctions on several ICC officials, but the new measures would go further, targeting transactions with the institution itself.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been one of the Court's harshest critics, arguing that its actions against officials from countries that are not party to the Rome Statute set a dangerous precedent and infringe on US sovereignty.