The United States Department of the Treasury announced this Friday the imposition of new sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), in a new chapter of the offensive launched by Washington against the court based in The Hague, which already affected its president, Tomoko Akane, last August.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has adopted these measures against the ICC without currently providing detailed information about their scope, although it has simultaneously issued up to four specific licenses linked to the activities of the court.
In this way, the Treasury authorizes until April 7, 2027 certain "transactions" with the ICC that are essential for "the continuity of operations, including payments from the States parties (...), payment of salaries, health insurance, and medical services for employees, beneficiaries of grants, or contractors of the ICC; payment of rents, utilities, taxes, insurance, and other fees; payment for routine services to the court".
The department led by Scott Bessent also allows the court to continue managing pension payments, as well as financial operations "related to telecommunications and business software in which" the ICC is involved. Also authorized are the "services intended for the health, safety, and welfare" of individuals in the custody of the court and the "services for the operation of the facilities" where the detainees are located.
This decision deepens the confrontation of the United States with the ICC, which it accuses of being a "corrupt supranational body" and "politicized" that exceeds its competencies. In addition to the president of the court, other judges and prosecutors have been subject to sanctions by the Trump Administration in response to the investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip.