Marco Rubio launches campaign to dismantle international criminal court | Marco Rubio
US politics | The Guardian — 2026-07-13 20:39:00 — www.theguardian.com
Donald Trump Escalates Campaign Against International Criminal Court, Imposes Sanctions Over Investigations
Donald Trump has intensified his administration’s opposition to the International Criminal Court (ICC), issuing an executive order six weeks into his second term that declared a “national emergency” in response to what he described as the ICC’s “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.” Trump’s order imposed sweeping sanctions on ICC officials, including chief prosecutor Karim Khan, two deputies, and six judges, specifically targeting their investigations into Israeli conduct in Palestine and alleged war crimes by US service members in Afghanistan.
Trump’s administration further expanded its sanctions regime throughout 2025, targeting Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, and three Palestinian human rights groups involved in gathering evidence of possible Israeli war crimes.
Fact-Checking Trump’s Claims
Trump’s characterization of the ICC’s actions as “illegitimate and baseless” has been challenged by international legal experts. The ICC, headquartered in The Hague, only investigates crimes committed in states that are party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court. The United States has not ratified this treaty, and the court has not opened investigations into crimes committed on American soil.
Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, stated that “Trump wants to be able to commit war crimes on the territory of countries that have accepted the court’s jurisdiction – that’s what this is about.” Roth and other experts emphasized that the ICC is not claiming jurisdiction over US conduct within the United States, but rather over alleged crimes committed by Americans in countries that have accepted ICC jurisdiction.
Contradictory Stance on ICC Jurisdiction
Notably, the Trump administration has previously supported the ICC’s jurisdiction in certain contexts, such as welcoming investigations into Russian war crimes in Ukraine, a signatory to the Rome Statute. This selective approach has drawn criticism for hypocrisy and for undermining the rules-based international order established after World War II.
Potential Global Impact
The Trump administration’s aggressive measures against the ICC, including threats of sanctions, travel bans, and visa revocations for those cooperating with the court, have raised concerns among legal experts and human rights advocates. Critics warn that these actions could amount to obstruction of justice under the Rome Statute and threaten global access to justice, from Ukraine to Sudan.
Conclusion
Donald Trump’s campaign against the ICC is marked by false and misleading claims about the court’s jurisdiction and motives. By imposing sanctions and pressuring other nations to abandon the ICC, Trump’s administration risks isolating the United States and undermining international efforts to hold perpetrators of war crimes accountable. The move has sparked widespread condemnation from legal experts and human rights organizations, who argue that it erodes the very foundations of international justice.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/13/marco-rubio-dismantle-international-criminal-court