Trump administration launches effort to isolate International Criminal Court

WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is launching an effort to dismantle what it calls a threat to US sovereignty by the International Criminal Court (ICC), a State Department official said on July 13.

US President Donald Trump and other US officials, including former president George W. Bush, have long said the ICC should not have the authority to investigate and prosecute Americans, particularly members of the military.

Reuters earlier in 2026 found that the Trump administration backed sanctions against ICC officials in part to head off any future attempts to hold him or his officials accountable for US military action overseas.

The State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a wide range of options is under consideration to target the ICC, including travel bans, visa revocations, increased sanctions against the ICC and affiliated organisations, and diplomatic pressure on other nations to withdraw from the court.

The ICC was established in 2002 by the international community to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. It asserts jurisdiction only if a member state is unable or unwilling to prosecute atrocities itself. The US has never been a member of the court.

Trump’s hostility towards the court goes back to his first term. It manifested again with a plan to punish ICC officials, an idea hatched in November 2024 when Trump was re-elected and the ICC indicted his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In June, three ICC judges sued Trump and his administration over sanctions imposed on them in 2025, arguing the measures were unlawful.

The State Department official said on July 13 that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top US officials are pressuring other countries as part of a campaign “to diplomatically isolate the International Criminal Court and ensure it cannot target Americans”.

In March 2020, ICC prosecutors opened an investigation in Afghanistan that included looking into possible crimes by US troops, but since 2021, it has deprioritised the role of the US and focused on alleged crimes committed by the Afghan government and Taliban forces.

The official said nations 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 to prosecute American officials and servicemen”.

Nations that refuse to reject the ICC while relying on US assistance are likely to come under increased scrutiny, the official added.

“We will watch with interest which nations join ranks with us against this threat to Americans who are willing to risk their lives to protect others,” the official said. REUTERS