The State Department announced a “whole-of-government” effort to systematically dismantle the International Criminal Court’s ability to target Americans with war crimes charges. 

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court to US sovereignty,” a statement released by the State Department on Monday explained. “The campaign will feature a whole-of-government response to systematically disable the ICC’s ability to operate, target American servicemen or officials, or otherwise threaten American sovereignty.”

“The ICC poses an intolerable threat to U.S. sovereignty – it claims the authority to prosecute and even imprison American servicemen and officials operating on behalf of America’s national interest,” it added.

The statement says Rubio is considering multiple actions to take against the ICC, including increasing sanctions. 

The ICC was established to prosecute suspected war criminals who are not held accountable for their actions by their governments. Countries that are members of the court are required to comply with the ICC’s arrest warrants. 

In response to potential investigations of US war crimes committed in the Middle East, Congress passed the Hague Invasion Act, which grants the President power to use military force to retrieve Americans detained by the ICC. The US is not a party to the ICC. 

The ICC has also issued warrants for Palestinian officials for crimes committed on October 7, 2023, and Israeli officials for the genocide in Gaza. While Israel has killed the Palestinian officials targeted by the court, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are wanted by the ICC.