Expansion of US sanctions against the International Criminal Court; Europe supported the court's activities

Expansion of US sanctions against the International Criminal Court; Europe supported the court's activities

On the day Navid Pillay, the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, warned against "growing pressure and threats against the International Criminal Court," the United States expanded its sanctions and restrictions against this UN judicial body.

🔸 On Friday, October 17, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, hours after the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize winner, emphasized once again that the US is not a member of the International Criminal Court and does not accept it on principle.

In his statement, the US Secretary of State emphasized that his country's government, led by Donald Trump, will never allow this court, which he called "rebellious," to prosecute "American citizens and soldiers and the defenders of this country." Referring to the sanctions on 17 senior judges of this court over the past year, Marco Rubio warned that the extensive sanctions announced today could continue "brick by brick" until the complete destruction of this institution.

At the same time, the US Secretary of State said that Washington prefers to resolve bilateral disputes through diplomacy.

According to the US State Department statement, the International Criminal Court is subject to a series of 180-day sanctions by the country's Treasury Department; including in the field of management services, software and cloud processing, employee pension funds, and activities related to detainees of this court.

🔸 The new sanctions, unlike previous US actions targeting specific judges and prosecutors, target the International Criminal Court itself and may also punish companies providing services to this institution. Marco Rubio saw these 180-day sanctions as signs of "good faith" and said that in this way, this institution and member states will have the opportunity to "show significant progress in diplomatic and legal frameworks" to address the fundamental concerns of the United States regarding the court's functioning.

Read the full report on the Radio Farda website.