TEHRAN U.S.
President Donald Trump has shamefully slapped sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also known as Bibi.Trump criticized the ICC for issuing arrest warrants against Netanyahu and ousted Israeli war minister Yoav Gallant, calling the move a dangerous overreach and an attack on U.S.
and Israeli sovereignty.The U.S.
president, who signed an executive order after Congress rejected to back the move, delivered a sharp warning to the ICC.He authorized the freezing of U.S.-based assets belonging to ICC officials involved in investigations targeting citizens of the U.S.
as well as its ally Israel.The order also bars the ICC judicial officials and their immediate families from entering the United States.Trump affirmed that the U.S.
strongly opposes any action taken by the court against its close ally Israel and expects its allies to adopt a similar stance.The move highlights Trumps defiant stance in shielding U.S.
officials from accountability for war crimes, aligning with his broader effort to protect Israeli leaders from international prosecution for the numerous war crimes committed during the 15-month Gaza conflict.The measure coincided with the visit of Netanyahu to Washington.On Friday, the ICC condemned Trumps action and called on its 125 States Parties, civil society and all nations of the world to stand united for justice and fundamental human rights.The court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all situations before it, it added in a statement.In December, the war courts president, Judge Tomoko Akane, warned that sanctions would rapidly undermine the courts operations in all situations and cases, and jeopardize its very existence.The Netherlands, the host nation of the court, also said it regretted the sanctions.The courts work is essential in the fight against impunity, Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said in a post on social media.The United Nations on Friday sharply condemned Trumps decision and called on him to swiftly reverse the controversial move.This step is not the first of its kind.
Trump had previously imposed sanctions on the ICC in 2020 during his first term in response to its investigations into war crimes committed by U.S.
forces in Afghanistan.Anti-war activists have vehemently condemned Trumps latest move, denouncing it as a deliberate attempt to protect Netanyahu and Gallant from the ICC jurisdiction.They accused the Israeli prime minister and his former security minister of masterminding war crimes in the Gaza genocide and insisted, They must be held accountable.The ICC is a permanent international court established to prosecute individuals for the most heinous crimes, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and crimes of aggression.It has the mandate to hold individuals accountable for these atrocities, whether committed within the territory of member states or by their nationals, ensuring justice for grave violations of international law.In February 2025 the Hague-based court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza war.Evidence was presented to the court which showed that from October 8, 2023, to May 20, 2024, Netanyahu and Gallant were responsible for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare, as well as crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.Despite Trumps actions, the ICC has strongly indicated that its staff wont be intimidated by the White House as it pledges to continue its work.