WASHINGTON: The United States launched on Monday a sweeping campaign against the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing it of posing “an intolerable threat to US sovereignty” and threatening sanctions.

The State Department said the campaign would “systematically disable the ICC’s ability to operate, target American servicemen or officials, or otherwise threaten American sovereignty.”

President Donald Trump and other US officials, including ex-president George W. Bush, have long said the ICC should not have the authority to investigate and prosecute Americans, particularly members of the military.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a video statement, claimed, “The ICC and its friends are waging a war against our country, not with bullets or missiles, but with statutes, compacts and the force of so-called international law.”

Accountability for war crimes

Having 125 member countries, the ICC focuses on prosecuting individuals for war crimes, the crime of aggression, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The ICC, which maintains a cooperative relationship with the United Nations, asserts jurisdiction only if a member state is unable or unwilling to prosecute atrocities itself.

Reuters earlier found the Trump administration backed sanctions against ICC officials in part to head off any future attempts to hold him or his officials accountable for US military action overseas.

A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a wide range of options was under consideration to target the ICC, including travel bans, visa revocations, increased sanctions against the ICC and affiliated organisations, and diplomatic pressure on other nations to withdraw from the ICC.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2026