US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that the US will impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court . This move comes shortly after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Navy Pillay , a former ICC judge.
" We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off its resources and crippling its ability to operate," Rubio declared. He also warned that the new measures could also affect companies that provide services to the ICC . "President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute American citizens. Both parties agree on this, but only President Trump has the determination needed to end this threat once and for all. Either the ICC ends its threats, or we end the ICC ."
"We expect our allies—many of whom are members of the ICC and rely on the American military for their defense—to rein in this outlaw court," the US Secretary of State added. "Otherwise," he concluded, " the United States will continue its campaign to dismantle the ICC brick by brick, until Americans are no longer threatened ."
REACTIONS – The International Criminal Court responded immediately to the announcement, calling it "an attack on the rule of law and the very foundations of the international legal order, which deals a severe blow to the fundamental principle that no one is above the law." The Court then added that " history will judge this moment ."
"It is deeply regrettable that the United States has announced its intention to impose sanctions ," the European Commission said in a statement . "The EU will work closely with the ICC to ensure it continues to operate effectively." It also "stands ready to take all necessary measures to enable the Court to carry out its work, as well as to protect the interests of EU operators within the single market." "Since there is a six-month transition period before the measures enter into force," the European Commission added, "there is room for dialogue." Italy and seven other countries —Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom— signed a joint document reaffirming their "unwavering support for the Court."
The United States has long contested the arrest warrants issued by the ICC against Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as the previous investigation into American military actions in Afghanistan, which was later shelved.
Netanyahu himself expressed satisfaction with the matter, having defined the ICC in a post on X as "a political body that represents a mortal threat to law-abiding democracies around the world and to the very idea of national sovereignty."
(Unioneonline)