US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that President Donald Trump’s administration would try to “dismantle” the International Criminal Court and called on other governments to support the effort.
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Rubio accused the court of pursuing the United States through what he described as “so-called international law”, rather than military force. His comments signalled a sharper phase in Washington’s long-running dispute with the Hague-based institution.
The Trump administration’s opposition to the ICC dates to the president’s first term, when the court sought to examine alleged war crimes by US forces in Afghanistan. In Trump’s second term, Washington has imposed several sanctions on ICC personnel over efforts to investigate the United States and Israel.
Aid Scrutiny Threatened
A State Department official said the new campaign, led by the department and involving the wider US government, is aimed at isolating the ICC diplomatically. The official said countries receiving US assistance could face closer examination if they do not reject the court’s authority.
Rubio wrote in the Wall Street Journal that Washington would use available government measures and work with allies to take the court apart “brick by brick, if necessary”. The State Department official said possible measures include travel bans, visa cancellations and additional sanctions.
The official said Washington is pressing countries that cooperate with US law enforcement, host American troops or rely on US security support to reject any ICC claim to prosecute US officials or service members. Senior US officials, including Rubio, the deputy secretary of state and US ambassadors, are contacting foreign governments as part of the effort.
Members Urged To Leave
According to the official, the administration wants ICC member states to withdraw from the court and end financial support. It is also asking countries outside the ICC, including the United States, to use their diplomatic ties to encourage similar steps.
CNN reported that it had sought comment from the ICC.
In his opinion article, Rubio accused the court of being supported by leftist non-governmental groups, “smug globalists” and governments hostile to the United States. He also rejected claims by outside organisations that US deportations to El Salvador and deadly boat strikes on alleged narco-terrorists breached international law.
DAWN Disputes Rubio
Rubio also dismissed a call from Democracy for the Arab World Now, known as DAWN, for the ICC to look into alleged US war crimes in Iran. He said such claims could expose US actions to court scrutiny.
Omar Shakir, DAWN’s executive director, told CNN that Rubio had misrepresented the group’s request to investigate possible war crimes committed during the war. He asked whether Rubio believed US personnel should face investigation over war crimes allegations in Iran.
Shakir said governments would be judged by whether they defended institutions created to uphold international law, and argued that Rubio’s campaign was weakening the rules-based order established after World War II.
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14 July 2026
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