WASHINGTON, September 21, 2026 — The administration of US President Donald Trump is preparing broad sanctions targeting the International Criminal Court (ICC) as an institution, potentially restricting most financial transactions between the court and US individuals and entities, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Under the proposed measures, most transactions involving the ICC could be prohibited after a six- to seven-month wind-down period, unless authorized under a special license. The measures would mark a significant expansion of Washington’s previous sanctions, which primarily targeted individual ICC officials.
The planned restrictions could affect a range of services essential to the court’s operations, including financial transactions, information-technology services, insurance and payments to staff, according to Reuters and the Journal.
US officials are considering finalizing or announcing the measures around the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, according to the reports. The US State Department did not immediately provide a comment on the potential new sanctions to the Journal.
Previous US sanctions
Washington has already imposed sanctions on ICC officials. In an executive order issued on February 6, 2025, Trump declared a national emergency over what his administration described as actions by the ICC against the United States and Israel. The order authorized blocking property and assets of designated individuals and restricting their entry into the United States.
The new proposal would go further by targeting the court itself, rather than limiting sanctions to individual judges, prosecutors or other officials. Reuters described the plan as the first US attempt to impose sanctions on the ICC as an institution.
ICC warrants for Israeli leaders
The escalation follows the ICC’s decision in November 2024 to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The US has rejected the court’s jurisdiction over US and Israeli personnel.
The Trump administration has also sought to persuade other countries to isolate the court. According to Reuters, Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched a diplomatic campaign in July urging governments to take action against the ICC.
The ICC, based in The Hague, was established under the Rome Statute to prosecute genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity when national courts are unable or unwilling to pursue such cases. The United States is not a member of the IC
