Trump imposes sanctions on International Criminal Court

The sanctions include freezing any US assets of those designated and barring them and their families from visiting the United States.

By REUTERS FEBRUARY 7, 2025 00:42 Updated: FEBRUARY 7, 2025 00:54

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump holds a signed executive order in the Oval Office last week. (photo credit: Carlos Barria/Reuters)

US President Donald Trump on Thursday authorized economic and travel sanctions targeting people who work on International Criminal Court investigations of US citizens or US allies such as Israel, repeating action he took during his first term.

The move coincides with a visit to Washington by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who - along with his former defense minister and a leader of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas - is wanted by the ICC over the war in the Gaza Strip.

It was unclear how quickly the US would announce names of people sanctioned. During the first Trump administration in 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her top aides over the ICC's investigation into alleged war crimes by American troops in Afghanistan.

The ICC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The sanctions include freezing any US assets of those designated and barring them and their families from visiting the United States.

The 125-member ICC is a permanent court that can prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression against the territory of member states or by their nationals. The United States, China, Russia and Israel are not members.