U.S. sanctions International Criminal Court hours after former judge wins Nobel Peace Prize

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court itself, escalating a long-running dispute with the tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands.

“President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. “Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC.” The sanctions could also affect companies that provide services to the court.

The move came hours after South African jurist Navi Pillay, a former ICC appeals judge, won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her work in international criminal justice. The Nobel committee said judges and international legal institutions are “under political attack.”

Pillay called the U.S. sanctions “unheard of, unacceptable,” saying hundreds of court staff now feel under threat. Washington has objected to ICC arrest warrants for Israeli officials and to a past investigation involving U.S. troops in Afghanistan.