Trump escalates crackdown on ICC; US moves to blacklist court and cut it off from global financial system
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), this time Washington is planning to bring the entire ICC organization under the scope of sanctions, not just a few judges or lawyers
Washington (The Uttam Hindu): US President Donald Trump's administration is in the final stages of imposing the toughest economic and administrative sanctions ever on the International Criminal Court (ICC). According to a report in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), this time Washington is planning to bring the entire ICC organization under the scope of sanctions, not just a few judges or lawyers. According to sources, this major decision may be officially announced this week during the ongoing United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting in New York. If this step is taken, the conflict between the international justice system and the US will reach historic levels.
The main reason for the dispute between the Trump administration and this international court based in The Hague is the arrest warrants issued against the Israeli
leadership. The ICC had issued warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant in connection with the Gaza war. The US has been strongly opposing this from the beginning and has accused the court of acting beyond its jurisdiction. Apart from this, Washington has also been demanding a complete closure of old investigations related to US soldiers in Afghanistan. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has already called the ICC a threat to US sovereignty and has warned of its complete isolation and abolition.
The court will be cut off from the US dollar and the banking system.
The ICC, established in 2002 under the Rome Statute, hears cases of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity worldwide. The United States is not a member state of the court. However, if the US Treasury Department imposes a blanket ban on the entire organization, the impact will be felt globally. Once the sanctions are implemented, no US citizen, bank, or company will be able to provide funds, technology, or services to the court without special permission. The ICC's transactions with the global banking system, which relies on the US dollar, could be completely halted, threatening to completely paralyze day-to-day services such as salaries for the court's lawyers and investigators, IT systems, basic security, and insurance.