President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 6 to impose visa and financial sanctions on individuals who assist the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating the United States and its allies.
“The United States will impose tangible and significant consequences on those responsible for the ICC’s transgressions, some of which may include the blocking of property and assets, as well as the suspension of entry into the United States of ICC officials, employees, and agents, as well as their immediate family members, as their entry into our Nation would be detrimental to the interests of the United States,” the order reads.
Policy actions take effect immediately with the goal of deterring investigations into military activities.
The ICC’s actions targeting the United States over incidents in Afghanistan, and Israel—because of its security measures related to Palestinian territories—are contrary to “national sovereignty and security interests,” according to a fact sheet provided by the White House.
The United States, which has been investigated by the ICC on several occasions, never agreed to the statute or consented to ICC jurisdiction.
Trump’s order declares that the United States “remains committed to accountability and to the peaceful cultivation of international order, but the ICC and parties to the Rome Statute must respect the decisions of the United States and other countries not to subject their personnel to the ICC’s jurisdiction, consistent with their respective sovereign prerogatives.”
A White House fact sheet said the ICC and its chief prosecutor are granted overly broad, “unaccountable powers that pose a significant threat to United States sovereignty and our constitutional protections.”
Saying that the ICC has engaged in “illegitimate and baseless actions” targeting the United States and Israel, the order describes the inquiries as setting a “dangerous precedent, directly endangering current and former United States personnel, including active service members of the Armed Forces, by exposing them to harassment, abuse, and possible arrest.”
Allies of the United States are expected, per the order, to oppose the court’s actions “against the United States, Israel, or any other ally of the United States that has not consented to ICC jurisdiction.”
“The ICC consistently constrains liberal, democratic nations like Israel in exercising their rights to self-defense,” the White House fact sheet reads. “At the same time, the ICC has failed to hold regimes like Iran accountable for their crimes against humanity.”
The ICC’s rulings on the United States and Israel undermine the credibility of the court, the White House said. The court’s “disproportionate focus on Israel, without investigating the actions of groups that openly call for Israel’s destruction, reveals a clear double standard.”
After the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, in which approximately 1,200 individuals were killed, the ICC applied for arrest warrants for several top Hamas leaders and eventually issued one in 2024 because of their reported deaths in the war with Israel.
At the same time, it issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant in November.
Additionally, the White House questions the effectiveness of the court—which it alleges has secured fewer than 10 prosecutions over more than 20 years and at a cost of more than $2 billion.
Supporters of the new sanctions suggest the regulations could help secure U.S. interests.
Critics say that human rights violators could escape justice if the ICC is neutralized or eliminated.
A bill known as the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last month, sought to impose similar sanctions.
The measure passed the House with bipartisan support, but late last month, the Senate rejected it.
Only one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, voted with Republicans to advance the bill.
Trump previously sanctioned the ICC and some key officials in 2020 when he froze the assets and banned the entry of families following investigations into the conflict in Afghanistan.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is directed by the order to consult with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and provide to the president within 60 days a list of additional individuals who may qualify for sanctions.
How the new sanctions will impact the organization remains unclear.
The ICC did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.
Netanyahu visited the White House on Feb. 4. He was the first foreign leader to greet Trump at the executive mansion during his second term.
A presidential memorandum signed by Trump earlier in the day on Tuesday ratcheted up pressure on Iran.
At a joint press conference with the Israeli prime minister, the president also expressed a desire for the United States to acquire the war-torn Gaza Strip and oversee development of the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Trump said the United States would be responsible for dismantling unexploded bombs and other weapons in the Gaza Strip, leveling bombed-out buildings and creating “an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.”
He vowed to continue supporting Israel throughout his four years in office.
