US senator urges sanctions on Trump, Rubio over ICC pressure

US Senator Chris Van Hollen on Monday called on European countries and other signatories to the International Criminal Court to impose sanctions on President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accusing the administration of undermining the tribunal's work. "If European countries & other signatories to the International Criminal Court have any self-respect, they'd sanction Rubio & Trump for obstructing investigations of (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's war crimes," Van Hollen said in a post on X.

Sweeping sanctions planned

The demand follows a Wall Street Journal report that the Trump administration is preparing comprehensive sanctions against the ICC following its arrest warrant for Netanyahu. The proposed measures would prohibit most transactions with the court after a six- to seven-month grace period and could block the institution from conducting transactions in US dollars, according to the report.

Existing measures and warrants

The administration has already targeted several ICC officials with sanctions, including President Tomoko Akane, judges, deputy prosecutors and the prosecutor handling the case against Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024, accusing them of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.