The State Department said sanctions were imposed under Executive Order 14203, which targets “malign efforts by the ICC” and aims to impose consequences on those engaged in “transgressions against the United States and Israel.”
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has condemned the US government’s new designations for sanctions against four judges, calling it “a flagrant attack” on the court’s independence.
“These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution which operates under the mandate from 125 States Parties from all regions,” the ICC said in a statement on Wednesday. “They constitute also an affront against the Court’s States Parties, the rules-based international order and, above all, millions of innocent victims across the world.”
The #ICC strongly rejects new US sanctions against Judges and Deputy Prosecutors ⤵️ https://t.co/yasAu2G4W0
— Int’l Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) August 20, 2025
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added ICC Judges Kimberly Prost (Canada), Judge Nicolas Guillou (France), Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan (Fiji) and Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang (Senegal) to the Specially Designated Nationals list. These additional designations follow the earlier designation of four other judges and the ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan.
Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant
The State Department said Guillou was sanctioned for authorizing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, while Prost faced penalties for approving investigations into US personnel in Afghanistan, the Anadolu news agency reported.
Guillou, a French jurist, serves on the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I that issued the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant in November 2024. The warrants accuse both officials of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
‘Denied’ – ICC Upholds Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant in Genocide Probe
Deputy prosecutors Khan and Niang were designated for “continuing to support illegitimate ICC actions against Israel,” including upholding the warrants targeting Israeli leadership since assuming prosecutor office leadership.
The State Department said sanctions were imposed under Executive Order 14203, which targets “malign efforts by the ICC” and aims to impose consequences on those engaged in “transgressions against the United States and Israel.”
Court’s Support of Personnel
The ICC said that, as stated before by the ICC President and Judiciary, as well as the Presidency of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, “the Court stands firmly behind its personnel and victims of unimaginable atrocities.”
US Court Challenges Trump’s Sanctions on ICC amidst Gaza Genocide Probes
The statement emphasized that the ICC will continue fulfilling its mandate, “undeterred, in strict accordance with its legal framework as adopted by the States Parties and without regard to any restriction, pressure or threat.”
Rubio’s Allegations
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the four officials and the court of efforts to “investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without the consent of either nation.”
The @IntlCrimCourt continues to disregard national sovereignty and facilitate lawfare through efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, and prosecute American and Israeli nationals. In response, I am sanctioning four additional ICC officials. We will continue to hold accountable…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) August 20, 2025
“The United States has been clear and steadfast in our opposition to the ICC’s politicization, abuse of power, disregard for our national sovereignty, and illegitimate judicial overreach,” he said in a statement, labeling the court as national security threat to Washington and Tel Aviv.
Previous Sanctions
All property and interests of sanctioned individuals in the US or controlled by US persons are now blocked. Entities owned 50 percent or more by blocked persons are also sanctioned.
The OFAC also published a General License authorizing the winding down of existing transactions with sanctioned individuals until 12.01 a.m. EDT (0401GMT) on Sept. 19. But payments must be made into blocked interest-bearing accounts in the US, preventing those who are sanctioned from accessing funds, the report stated.
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The sanctions came amid an escalation between the US and the ICC, which Washington has not joined. In February, the Trump administration sanctioned the ICC and Prosecutor Karim Khan, accusing the court of “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”
Ongoing Genocide
Since reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, Israel has continued its bloody aerial bombardment across the Gaza Strip, killing and wounding thousands of Palestinians.
Starting on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military, with American support, launched a genocidal war against the people of Gaza. This campaign has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 62,000 Palestinians, with more than 157,000 wounded. The vast majority of the population has been displaced, and the destruction of infrastructure is unprecedented since World War II. Thousands of people are still missing.
Watch the moment an Israeli airstrike hits a camp for displaced people in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. pic.twitter.com/YOFdiyBQDf
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) August 21, 2025
In addition to the military assault, the Israeli blockade has caused a man-made famine, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians—mostly children—with hundreds of thousands more at risk.
Despite widespread international condemnation, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. The nation is currently under investigation for genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.
(Anadolu, PC)
Can’t see these sanctions against ICC officials make an ounce of difference. Under Trump, the US is aiming for rock bottom, and sooner or later its economy will collapse under Trump’s own sanctions against it – because that’s what Trump’s tariffs are, sanctions against US citizens. One wise man, Jesus of Nazareth, did say that a house divided against itself cannot stand, and Trump is going to show us an example of that.