Washington is escalating its confrontation with international judicial institutions in an unprecedented way, imposing severe sanctions against the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Tomoko Akane , and the deputy prosecutor, Abdoulaye Seye . This decision marks the most aggressive move by the United States against the Hague-based court in recent years, directly accusing it of politicization and excess of jurisdiction .
The announcement was made by the head of US diplomacy, Marco Rubio , who claimed that the two top judicial officials were directly involved in ICC actions aimed at investigating, arresting and prosecuting officials of states that have not ratified the Rome Statute and do not recognize its jurisdiction. The US sanctions are particularly harsh in practical terms, as they include a complete ban on entry to the US and an asset freeze , blocking any financial transactions or real estate within US territory.
At the heart of the American reaction is the International Criminal Court’s stance towards close US ally Israel. Washington’s anger was mainly sparked by the issuance of arrest warrants in 2024 against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the war in Gaza. The US government, which traditionally refuses to join the international treaty establishing the ICC, considers such prosecutions to be illegitimate and threaten the sovereign rights of states that have not signed the founding treaty.
The sanctions on the judicial officials are part of a broader diplomatic offensive launched by the US, openly calling on its international partners to withdraw from the ICC. This pressure already seems to be bearing fruit on a geopolitical level, as countries such as Chad and Venezuela — which re-engaged with Washington after the arrest of Nicolas Maduro — have followed the US example by withdrawing from the institution, with Marco Rubio expressing confidence that similar moves will be made by other states in the near future.
For its part, the International Criminal Court claimed that the US actions directly undermine the international rule of law . The Hague-based court stressed that the exercise of intimidation and political pressure on judicial officials endangers the international legal order itself. It made it clear, in fact, that it remains steadfast in its mission, declaring its full support for its judges, prosecutors and staff, but above all for the victims of heinous war crimes , for whom it must ensure accountability without geopolitical exceptions.
