US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on 13/7 accused the International Criminal Court (ICC) of "waging a war against the United States, not with missiles or bombs, but with the power of so-called international law".
"We will use every tool the government has at its disposal, along with allies willing to cooperate, to dismantle the ICC one step at a time," he wrote in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal.
The US State Department announced that its led campaign will mobilize the entire government apparatus to "systematically cripple the ICC's ability to operate", preventing the court from prosecuting US soldiers and officials or "threatening US sovereignty".
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House on 27/6/2025. Photo: AFP |
According to a US State Department official, Washington will pressure ICC member states to withdraw from the court and cut all financial support, forcing the body to dissolve. The US also urged non-member countries to use their diplomatic networks to isolate the ICC, which is headquartered in The Hague.
The official added that the US will consider various measures, including entry bans, visa revocations, and expanded sanctions against ICC judges. "Countries that continue to rely on US aid but do not reject the ICC's false jurisdiction will face closer scrutiny," the official said.
The US State Department further called on countries cooperating with US law enforcement or military forces to reject the jurisdiction the ICC claims over US officials and military personnel.
Rubio stated that the US has never accepted the ICC's jurisdiction, emphasizing that since the adoption of the Rome Statute, successive US presidents have maintained that the court has no authority over US citizens.
Secretary Rubio's statement immediately drew criticism from international law experts. Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), expressed concern that if the ICC is paralyzed, future war crimes may go unpunished.
He noted that the ICC only has jurisdiction to investigate matters occurring in the territories of states party to the Rome Statute. The US has not ratified the treaty establishing the court, and the ICC has never opened an investigation into actions occurring on US territory.
The ICC was established in 2002 and is based in the Netherlands, currently with 125 members. It is a permanent court for prosecuting individuals who commit genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The US and several other countries, such as Russia, China, and Israel, are not parties to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.
The campaign launched by the US State Department marks a significant escalation in the Trump administration's efforts to isolate the ICC. During President Trump's first term, Washington opposed the ICC's investigation into alleged war crimes by US soldiers in Afghanistan.
Since 2025, the Trump administration has imposed sanctions, including bans on entry into the US and asset freezes in the country, on at least 11 ICC officials, including its chief prosecutor. This move was in response to the ICC's investigation targeting Israel, a key US ally. In 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes.
Thanh Danh (According to AFP, CNN)
