Trump to sanction ICC for targeting US, “Israel”

US President Donald Trump will sign an executive order later today imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing the tribunal of improperly targeting the United States and its allies, including “Israel”.

The sanctions will apply financial and visa restrictions to individuals and their families who assist in ICC investigations involving US citizens or allied nations.

The ICC, established in 2002, prosecutes individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and aggression when member states are unwilling or unable to do so themselves.

The court has 125 member states and a 2025 budget of approximately USD 202 million . Recent investigations have included cases in Palestine, Ukraine, Africa, Venezuela, Myanmar, and the Philippines.

The US has previously criticized the ICC for its investigations into American personnel in June 2020, President Trump authorized sanctions against the court in response to its inquiry into alleged war crimes committed by US forces in Afghanistan.

The planned sanctions target ICC officials involved in the investigation, including then-Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.

The executive order is set to be a direct response to recent ICC actions, including the issuance of arrest warrants against “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

These warrants have been criticized by the US and “Israel”, with Netanyahu dismissing the order as "unfounded" and asserting that it would not affect his commitment to defending “Israel”.