U.S. President Donald Trump has authorized economic and travel sanctions against individuals involved in International Criminal Court (ICC) investigations targeting U.S. citizens and allies, including Israel.
The move, announced Thursday, comes amid Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington. Netanyahu, along with Israel’s former defense minister and a Hamas leader, is facing ICC warrants over the ongoing war in Gaza.
It remains unclear when the U.S. will release the names of sanctioned individuals. This action mirrors measures taken by the Trump administration in 2020 when Washington imposed sanctions on then-ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and a senior aide over the court’s probe into alleged war crimes by U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
The ICC has yet to respond to the latest sanctions, which include freezing U.S.-based assets of targeted individuals and barring them and their families from entering the country.
The 125-member ICC prosecutes individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and aggression within its jurisdiction. However, the United States, China, Russia, and Israel are not members.
Trump’s executive order follows last week’s failed attempt by U.S. Senate Republicans to pass legislation imposing similar sanctions on the ICC.
Anticipating financial restrictions, the ICC has taken precautionary measures, including paying staff salaries three months in advance, sources told Reuters. In December, ICC President Judge Tomoko Akane warned that such sanctions could severely disrupt the court’s operations and threaten its existence.
Russia has also taken action against the ICC. In 2023, the court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the alleged illegal deportation of Ukrainian children. Moscow retaliated by banning ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan and placing him and two ICC judges on its wanted list.
