US government threatens to dismantle International Criminal Court 'brick by brick'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that the Trump administration is launching a campaign to “dismantle the ICC brick by brick,” characterizing the court as a vehicle for “smug globalists” that threatens US independence.

Writing in The Wall Street Journal and reiterating his stance in a video posted to X, Rubio argued that the court’s authority represents a “grave overreach” that undermines the US as a sovereign nation.

Rubio’s broadside comes as the administration intensifies its diplomatic and economic pressure on the tribunal, which issued arrest warrants in 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former war minister, Yoav Gallant, over war crimes in Gaza.

While Rubio emphasized that the administration would utilize “all the tools at our government’s disposal” to combat the court, he notably omitted direct mention of the warrants for Israeli officials. Instead, he framed the campaign in nationalist terms, accusing the ICC of attempting to subject US citizens to the rule of a “self-appointed priesthood of ‘international law’.”

The Secretary of State alleged that the court is backed by a “powerful network of leftist nongovernment organizations” and “hostile Third World governments” united by their enmity toward the US. This declaration follows reports that the White House has already enacted sanctions against ICC judges, targeting their ability to travel, their physical security, and their access to basic financial services.