The administration of the U.S. president warned of possible new sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) if it does not amend its founding document and confirm that it will not open investigations into President Donald Trump and other senior officials.
U.S. circles have voiced concern that after 2029 the court could focus on the president, the vice president, the secretary of defense and other individuals and initiate criminal proceedings against them, which Washington considers unacceptable.
An administration representative did not specify particular issues that, in the view of U.S. authorities, could be grounds for investigation, but referred to open discussion of this possibility in international legal circles.
U.S. demands of the ICC
Washington is demanding that the court amend the Rome Statute and provide clear assurances that matters concerning senior U.S. officials will not be subject to investigation. In addition, the administration has put forward two other demands: to halt the investigation into Israeli leaders in connection with the war in Gaza and to officially conclude the review of actions by U.S. units in Afghanistan.
Possible sanctions
If the International Criminal Court does not meet these demands, Washington has threatened to impose sanctions on individual court officials and to introduce restrictions on the institution itself. According to the administration, these demands have already been communicated to the court.
Officials also insist that the Rome Statute explicitly state the absence of jurisdiction to initiate relevant investigations concerning leaders and other senior U.S. officials.
- In June 2025 the U.S. administration imposed sanctions on four ICC judges over what it deemed "illegal and unfounded" actions against the United States or Israel; the court rejected those measures.
