Secretary of State Marco Rubio Just Escalated America’s War Against the International Criminal Court

In a direct rebuke of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its supposed authority, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sanctioned ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan and Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal. He accused the pair of helping drive the court’s effort to investigate, arrest, and prosecute officials from governments that never consented to the ICC’s jurisdiction, an assault on national sovereignty by a politicized supranational court.

BBC NEWS: This move is the latest escalation by the Trump Administration to, in the words of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, ‘dismantle the International Criminal Court, brick by brick.’ pic.twitter.com/dKeCy2Uoi6

— Department of State (@StateDept) August 19, 2026

“The Trump Administration has been clear: the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate. We will not tolerate its assault on state sovereignty,” Rubio said in a statement.

In furtherance of the diplomatic campaign we launched last month to address the ICC’s abuses of power, I am designating two ICC officials – President of the ICC, Tomoko Akane of Japan, and ICC Senior Trial Lawyer, Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal – pursuant to Executive Order 14203, “Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court.”  These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction. 

The ICC has repeatedly attempted to assert authority over nationals of the United States and other countries that have not consented to its jurisdiction or ratified the Rome Statute. This sets a dangerous precedent for all nations. 

“Our whole of government campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the ICC to national sovereignty will be sweeping and we expect more countries to join our campaign by ending their funding and participation in this politicized and unaccountable court,” Rubio added. “The ICC’s ability to target American nationals and those of other non-States Parties must end. The Trump Administration stands ready to take additional measures, if necessary, to systematically dismantle the ICC until it is incapable of threatening American sovereignty.”

The sanctions would freeze any assets the designated individuals or entities hold in the United States, or that come under the control of U.S. persons or financial institutions. This can include bank accounts, investments, real estate interests, payments, and other property. The sanctions would also generally bar Americans, U.S. companies, and U.S. banks from doing business with them.

This follows a video statement Rubio released just one month ago, in which he blasted the ICC as the antithesis of the political principles Americans fought to secure in the Revolution. Invoking the Declaration of Independence, Rubio argued that Americans did not win independence from foreign rule only to submit to an unaccountable international tribunal claiming the power to investigate and prosecute them.

The International Criminal Court seeks to become the unaccountable arbiter of a new global law — empowered to prosecute and arrest our citizens at will and existentially threaten American sovereignty.

We will teach the ICC the full meaning of American resolve. pic.twitter.com/2egHK1jA98

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 13, 2026

Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are once again respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.

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