US sanctions 'rogue' ICC hours after former judge wins Nobel Peace Prize

The US has announced sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), hours after one of its former judges was given the Nobel Peace Prize, which Donald Trump covets.

While the White House has previously targeted individuals and other groups linked to the ICC, the latest measures announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio are on the court itself.

US allies including Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom and several European nations criticised the sanctions, which will freeze the court's assets in the US, as well as block financial transactions and IT agreements the ICC has with US companies.

Mr Rubio's announcement came shortly after former ICC judge Navanethem "Navi" Pillay — a South African jurist who previously served as the United Nations human rights chief — was given the Nobel Peace Prize.

Mr Trump has made it clear for several years he believes he deserves the award, which is judged by an independent panel in Norway.

While the US President has not yet commented about being overlooked for the Nobel Peace Prize, his account on the Truth Social platform did publicise a post from one of his former lawyers, David Schoen, who said award's judging committee had "shamed itself beyond repair".

Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu nominated Mr Trump for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

While members of the general public are not permitted to nominate, world leaders, national-level politicians, university professors, past Nobel recipients and directors of foreign policy institutions are among those who can.

"President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans," Mr Rubio said on Friday.

"That is why, today, the United States is sanctioning the International Criminal Court. We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate."

Despite the announcement, the US has allowed certain ICC operations to continue for 180 days.

The ICC is the main international judicial body for dealing with war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, among other things.

It was established in 2002 and has 125 member states, including Australia, although the US is not among them.

The foreign ministers of Britain, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Japan and the Netherlands on Friday issued a joint statement saying they "strongly disagree" with the US sanctions.

"If put into effect, these sanctions will have a significant impact on the Court's work, its dedicated staff and their families," their statement read.

The ICC condemned the Trump administration's move, and called on its member nations to help it continue its work.

In a statement, it said the sanctions were "aimed at disrupting the court's operations" and "intimidating" its employees.

"The court, for its part, will not be deterred," it read.

Mr Trump has previously lashed out after the Nobel Peace Prize has been bestowed on someone else.

In January, several months after Mr Trump was overlooked for the award in 2025, the president had an irate exchange with Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, in which he incorrectly asserted the country's government was responsible for the decision.

Last year's winner, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, gave her medal to Mr Trump during a meeting at the White House earlier this year.

Among a glittering, decades-long career, this year's recipient Ms Pillay sat on the ICC's Appeals Chamber from 2003-2008.

The court has issued arrest warrants for dozens of people since it was established, including Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Mr Netanyahu.

On Friday, the UN's human rights chief Volker Turk said the new US sanctions were "unacceptable".

The sanctions are expected to severely disrupt the court's operations, given how many US-based companies control global IT and banking systems.