Trump Administration Prepares to Sanction the International Criminal Court

"The Trump administration is preparing to impose sweeping sanctions on the International Criminal Court, according to officials, a sharp escalation in Washington’s efforts to dismantle the institution after it issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The sanctions would forbid most transactions with the ICC after a grace period of six to seven months, according to documents viewed by The Wall Street Journal and U.S. officials. That could potentially cripple the court by prohibiting it from conducting transactions in U.S. dollars, cutting it off from much of the global financial system.

It is unclear when a final decision and announcement might come, though some U.S. officials said the move could be finalized as soon as this week during the United Nations General Assembly meeting or in the following days.

A State Department spokesman wouldn’t preview any sanctions decisions but noted Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s view that the ICC poses a threat to American sovereignty.

The Treasury Department declined to comment. The International Criminal Court didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. already has sanctioned a number of ICC officials in its assault on the court. They include the former Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, whom the ICC ousted in July over sexual assault allegations against him; the president of the ICC, Tomoko Akane, and several other judges; the court’s two deputy prosecutors; and the lead prosecutor in the case against Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. Khan has denied any sexual misconduct.

The Trump administration is now preparing sanctions that are expected to be far more punitive, officials said. They would apply to a range of transactions with the ICC rather than individual officials. The measures would exempt transactions related to communications services, according to the documents..."