US campaigns to dismantle ICC to protect American sovereignty

The US on Monday announced a campaign aimed at dismantling what the Trump administration considers a threat by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to American sovereignty, including possible new sanctions, visa restrictions, and diplomatic pressure on allies. The State Department said the campaign would use a “whole-of-government response to systematically disable the ICC’s ability to operate, target American military personnel or officials, or threaten American sovereignty.” The statement argued that the court has claimed authority to prosecute American citizens even though Washington has never ratified the Rome Statute and said previous US administrations had rejected the court’s jurisdiction over American nationals. “The ICC previously opened investigations into US military personnel and intelligence officers and has since refused to close these cases,” it added. In an opinion piece published Monday in The Wall Street Journal, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the government would “dismantle the ICC—step by step, if necessary,” arguing that the court has evolved into a supranational body seeking to override the authority of sovereign states. The ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, former defence chief Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza. The court also opened an investigation in March 2020 into potential crimes committed by US forces in Afghanistan. Although the ICC has deprioritised that investigation since 2021, the court has not formally closed the case. Last year, Washington imposed sanctions on 11 ICC officials, including nine judges and the court’s chief prosecutor, including asset freezes and travel bans. In his opinion piece, Rubio accused the ICC of being “backed and run by a powerful network of left-wing non-governmental organisations, arrogant globalists, and hostile Third World governments.” The piece specifically cited Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), a Washington-based human rights group, over a March letter urging Iran, Israel, and Gulf states to accept ICC jurisdiction over war crimes committed during the war. DAWN rejected Rubio’s characterisation, saying their letter called for accountability for all parties “without exception,” not just US conduct in Iran. “Rubio’s mischaracterisation of our call to investigate all possible war crimes committed in the war—focusing only on US actions in Iran—raises questions,” said DAWN Executive Director Omar Shakir in a statement. “Is the Secretary of State worried because he knows US personnel have committed war crimes in Iran?” he added. DAWN Advocacy Director Raed Jarrar said the campaign targets “the rules-based international order,” while the group’s Israel-Palestine Director, Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man, said DAWN would take legal action against the administration this week.