US sanctions International Criminal Court after former judge awarded Nobel Peace Prize

Trump administration targets the Hague-based war crimes court after it sanctioned more than half of its judges and all its top prosecutors Published date: 9 October 2026 15:49 BST | Last update: 5 sec ago The Trump administration imposed institutional sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday, hours after one of its founding judges won the Nobel Peace Prize. The measures target the court as an institution after sanctions were imposed on half of its 18 judges and most of its leadership, including the court’s president and chief prosecutor, in response to its 2024 arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. The restrictions could prevent the court from conducting transactions in US dollars, effectively cutting it off from large parts of the international financial system and potentially crippling its operations. Banks tend to over-comply with sanctions because of their dependence on that system. But speaking to Middle East Eye ahead of the announcement, ICC officials said they were prepared to withstand the impact of institutional sanctions as they have alternative arrangements in place. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans," Secretary of State ​Marco Rubio said in a statement cited by Reuters ahead of the official announcement. "That is why, today, the United States is sanctioning the International Criminal Court. We ​will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate." "Either the ⁠ICC will end ​its threats, or we will end the ICC. We expect our allies, many of whom are part of ​the ICC and that rely on American servicemembers for their defense, to rein in the court," Rubio said. "We have structured this action to provide an opportunity for States Parties to negotiate and present a solution to address our ​concerns. If these efforts do not bear fruit, we will continue to adjust accordingly," he added. ICC officials have previously warned that sanctions targeting the institution could disrupt the purchase of IT services and insurance, the recruitment of investigators and routine financial operations, including payments to dozens of American employees. Many have called on the European Union to activate its Blocking Statute, a regulation that aims to protect EU companies and individuals from the effects of extraterritorial sanctions imposed by third countries, essentially preventing them from complying with foreign laws that could harm their business operations within the EU, even if those laws target activities outside the EU jurisdiction. If activated, the Blocking Statute would assure EU-based service providers that their transactions with the ICC are protected. The sanctions came hours after Navi Pillay, the eminent South African jurist and one of the founding judges of the ICC, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her contributions to international law. More to follow. Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.