The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has officially launched a campaign aimed at systematically disabling the International Criminal Court (ICC). In a news release issued Monday, the U.S. State Department announced a “whole-of-government” response designed to curb the tribunal’s operational capacity.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in an accompanying video statement, characterized the court as an entity “waging a war” against the American political and legal system. Rubio stated that the administration intends to use the full weight of American resolve to protect national sovereignty from what he termed the “force of so-called international law.”
While the State Department provided few immediate operational details, it outlined several measures under consideration. These include pressuring U.S. military and law enforcement partners to reject the ICC’s authority over American personnel, increasing scrutiny of nations that cooperate with the court while receiving U.S. aid, and imposing additional travel bans and sanctions on ICC staff and affiliated organizations.
The United States is not a signatory to the Rome Statute and does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction over its citizens. Despite this, the ICC has maintained ongoing investigations into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan since 2020. Legal experts, including William Schabas of Middlesex University London, have noted that the administration’s rhetoric appears to be preemptive, as the court has not initiated new actions against the U.S. or its allies since President Trump took office in January 2025.
Human rights advocates, including Raed Jarrar of the DAWN organization, have criticized the move, arguing that the administration’s actions threaten the post-World War II rules-based international order. The announcement follows years of friction between Washington and the Hague, marked by previous sanction cycles and persistent diplomatic pressure.