US sanctions ICC as court says work will continue

The United States on October 9 imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court as an institution, extending earlier measures against individual court officials and escalating a dispute over the tribunal’s authority. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the designation, saying Washington rejects the ICC’s jurisdiction over Americans and would block court property under U.S. jurisdiction. The Treasury Department issued general licenses allowing specified activities connected to the court to continue, including certain information technology services, pension arrangements and detainee-related transactions. The State Department described a temporary authorization for certain operations lasting 180 days, intended to give countries that are parties to the court’s founding treaty time to address U.S. concerns through diplomacy. The sanctions prohibit transactions with the designated institution, while U.S. companies and individuals have six months to wind down business with the court, according to the announcement. Rubio said Washington had delayed targeting the institution while seeking changes and warned that further measures could follow if negotiations failed.