Trump Administration Preparing Sweeping Sanctions Against Entire International Criminal Court Institution, Moving Beyond Individual Officials to Target All Transactions After Six-Month Grace Period

The Trump administration has prepared sanctions against the entire International Criminal Court as an institution and plans to announce them soon, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters and other outlets on September 20-21, 2026. The sanctions would prohibit most transactions with the ICC after a grace period of six to seven months, according to documents reviewed by the Wall Street Journal. The move would escalate beyond existing sanctions on more than a dozen ICC judges and prosecutors to target the court's operations as a whole, potentially disrupting IT services, insurance purchases, investigator hiring, and everyday financial transactions including paying dozens of American employees. Washington has already sanctioned ICC officials under an executive order Trump signed in February 2025. In August 2026, the US added ICC President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye to the sanctions list, with restrictions taking effect September 17. US officials want the court to drop arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, issued in November 2024. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a campaign in July to isolate the ICC and called on other countries to withdraw from the tribunal. The Trump administration argues the ICC has exceeded its authority by pursuing officials from countries that are not ICC members, and also objects to past ICC investigations into American troops in Afghanistan. The United States has never joined the court, which was established in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.