US sanctions the International Criminal Court hours after former judge Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize

The United States imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court as an institution on Friday, October 9, 2026, hours after former ICC judge Navi Pillay received the Nobel Peace Prize. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that President Trump will never allow the court to prosecute Americans. He described the ICC as a rogue court and said the sanctions would ban transactions with it, cutting off resources.

The Treasury Department issued general licenses providing a 180-day grace period for certain operations, including maintenance, software, pensions, and transactions related to detainees. Rubio said the delay gives the court and member states time to address U.S. concerns. If those concerns are not met, the sanctions will be adjusted. The United States has already sanctioned 17 individual judges and officials linked to the court earlier in the year under Executive Order 14203.

The administration cites two main issues. The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over actions in Gaza. It also maintains an investigation into events in Afghanistan that could involve U.S. personnel, although the court has said that investigation is deprioritized. The United States is not a member of the ICC and has long rejected its jurisdiction over American citizens.

ICC officials called the sanctions an assault on the rule of law. President Tomoko Akane, herself previously sanctioned, said the court would continue its work. The European Union and several member states have criticized the measures. The timing, coming on the same day as Pillay’s award for work on international law, drew attention to the contrast between the Nobel recognition and the financial pressure on the institution.

The sanctions freeze any ICC assets under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibit most transactions by U.S. persons with the court. Exemptions allow limited activity during the grace period. Rubio said the United States expects allies who rely on American security to rein in the court. He added that if they do not, Washington will continue to dismantle the ICC brick by brick.

The court has anticipated pressure and previously moved some systems away from U.S. software providers. Whether the 180-day window produces negotiations or further escalation will determine how the institution funds its operations after April 2027. The sanctions mark the first time the United States has targeted the ICC as an entity rather than only its personnel.