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Rubio targets ICC
The Trump administration escalated pressure on the International Criminal Court (ICC) by launching a “whole-of-government response to systematically disable” the tribunal’s ability to operate, according to a US State Department news release announced Monday.
“Washington, DC – The administration of United States President Donald Trump has escalated its pressure campaign against the International Criminal Court (ICC), with the US State Department vowing “a whole-of-government response to systematically disable” the tribunal’s ability to operate”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the ICC is “waging a war against our country, not with bullets or missiles, but with statutes, compacts, and the force of so-called international law,” and warned, “Today, it threatens every aspect of our political and legal system.”
The campaign comes as the administration has already imposed sanctions on ICC officials and rights groups that provided evidence to the court, and it threatens to penalise entities that aid investigations into the US or its allies, particularly Israel.
The State Department said the United States is not subject to the ICC because it is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, but it warned that US citizens can still be investigated and potentially prosecuted as part of probes of abuses in countries that are party to the charter.
William Schabas, a professor of international law at Middlesex University London, called the timing “perplexing,” noting the ICC had not taken actions related to the US or its allies since Trump took office in January 2025.
Diplomatic and legal tools
Rubio’s plan, described as a diplomatic campaign, said the US would “dismantle the ICC—brick by brick, if necessary,” and framed it as a defense of American sovereignty against what it calls the court’s threat to American officials and servicemen.
A State Department official told CNN that “Nations that refuse to reject the ICC’s false authority while relying on US assistance are likely to come under increased scrutiny,” while Rubio urged other countries to join the effort to dismantle the ICC.
The State Department official said the campaign includes possible travel bans, visa revocations, and increased sanctions, and that countries “that partner with US law enforcement, host a US military presence, or benefit from the broader US security umbrella” are being called upon to reject the ICC’s purported authority.
CNN reported that the calls are meant to persuade countries that are party to the ICC to withdraw and “cut off any financial support to the court,” and that the administration is also calling on non-parties like the United States to leverage diplomatic networks to take similar action.
Omar Shakir, the executive director of DAWN, told CNN that Rubio mischaracterized DAWN’s “call to investigate all possible war crimes carried out in the war,” adding that it “begs the question: does Secretary Rubio believe US personnel should be investigated for war crimes in Iran?”
Who is targeted next
The administration’s pressure campaign is tied to the ICC’s existing focus on alleged abuses involving US personnel, including an investigation into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan that ICC officials said has been ongoing since 2020.
“US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday vowed to “dismantle” the International Criminal Court and urged other countries to join the effort as the Trump administration significantly escalates its campaign against the global institution”
Al Jazeera reported that the Department of Justice restated the position to ICC President Tomoko Akane in a letter delivered in late June, and that successive US administrations have maintained that US citizens cannot be prosecuted by the court.
The Times of Israel said the effort is aimed at what the US described as a threat to American sovereignty, and it quoted Rubio’s op-ed that “Using all the tools at our government’s disposal... we will dismantle the ICC — brick by brick, if necessary.”
The Times of Israel also reported that a State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said options under consideration include travel bans, visa revocations, increased sanctions against the ICC and affiliated organizations, and diplomatic pressure on other nations to withdraw from the ICC.
CNN added that the administration’s escalation is particularly significant because it seeks to pressure countries around the world to join and threatens potential cuts to US assistance for those who don’t.
