Washington prepares broader sanctions against ICC amid Netanyahu case tensions

• Sanctions may restrict ICC's access to dollars and global financial system.
• Move may reportedly go beyond existing sanctions on individual ICC officials.
• US, Israel are not members of ICC and reject its jurisdiction in these cases.

The Trump administration is preparing to impose sweeping sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), potentially restricting most transactions with the Hague-based tribunal, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing US officials and documents reviewed by the newspaper.

Under the proposed measures, most transactions with the ICC would be prohibited after a six- to seven-month grace period, according to the WSJ. 

The restrictions could prevent the court from conducting transactions in US dollars and limit its access to the global financial system.

The reported measures would go beyond existing US sanctions, which have targeted individual ICC officials. 

The proposed sanctions would instead apply broadly to transactions involving the court itself, although communications-related transactions would reportedly be exempt.

The administration's campaign against the ICC has intensified since the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza war. Netanyahu and Gallant have rejected the allegations.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has argued that the ICC threatens US sovereignty by asserting jurisdiction over officials from countries that are not members of the court. 

The United States and Israel are not parties to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC.

The WSJ reported that a final decision could come as soon as this week during the UN General Assembly in New York, although the timing remains uncertain. 

A State Department spokesman declined to preview any sanctions decision, while the Treasury Department did not comment. 

The ICC also did not respond to a request for comment, according to the newspaper.

European countries and other major supporters of the ICC, including Japan, have pledged to protect the court from US pressure, though the precise measures they could take remain unclear.

Reuters, which reported on the WSJ story, said it could not independently verify the report.