United States tensions with ICC grow as Trump administration sanctions court president

The United States tensions with the International Criminal Court escalated when the Trump administration imposed sanctions on the president of the International Criminal Court and a senior trial lawyer, while separately ordering a reduction in joint military exercises with South Korea.

U.S. Sanctions on ICC Leadership

Secretary of State Marco Rubio sanctioned ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal under a Trump executive order, freezing their U.S. assets, restricting business with American companies, and banning them from entering the U.S. [1] The U.S. government on Tuesday imposed sanctions on senior members of the International Criminal Court, escalating its campaign against the tribunal as the Trump administration scales back participation in international bodies it claims fail to serve American interests. [1] Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed the measures on Tomoko Akane, a Japanese judge who heads the ICC, and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye under an executive order issued last year authorizing the sanctions, calling the ICC a “corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority.” [1] The measures freeze any property and financial interests the two hold in the U.S. and place restrictions on services with American companies. [1] The sanctioned individuals are also generally banned from entering the U.S. [1] The United States government on August 18, 2026, designated two additional International Criminal Court officials for sanctions under an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in February 2025. [2] Those sanctioned are Tomoko Akane, from Japan, the president of the ICC, and Abdoulaye Seye, from Senegal, an ICC senior trial lawyer. [2] The latest sanctions freeze any US assets held by Akane and Seye and effectively cut them off from the US financial system. [5] The US Treasury also issued a general licence allowing transactions involving the two officials to be wound down through September 17. [5]

Reactions to the ICC Sanctions

Human Rights Watch said the US government's decision to sanction two more ICC officials is just the latest example of the Trump administration's utter contempt for international law and a naked attempt to shield American and Israeli officials implicated in serious crimes from justice. [2] On August 11, Human Rights Watch, together with the American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the Open Society Institute, filed a lawsuit in US federal court challenging the Trump administration's sanctions against ICC prosecutors and judges, a UN human rights expert, and three Palestinian human rights groups. [2] The ICC condemned the sanctions, saying they threatened the international legal order. [5] “When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk,” the court said. [5] The move has also put Washington at odds with European allies. [5] Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said the Netherlands, which hosts the ICC, disapproved of the sanctions and had invited Akane to discuss the country’s continued support for the court. [5] “International courts and tribunals must be able to freely carry out their mandates,” Berendsen said. [5]

Trump Administration's Broader ICC Campaign

The Trump administration described the ICC as a corrupt and politicized court that has abused its authority, particularly in efforts involving officials from non-member states such as Israel and the United States. [1] Rubio said the sanctions were imposed under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last year. [5] “These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction,” Rubio said. [5] The sanctions follow previous measures against other ICC officials over investigations related to Israel, and come amid a lawsuit by human rights groups challenging the administration's use of sanctions against the court. [2] The United States has never been a member of the ICC and has long opposed its jurisdiction over US officials. [5] The court was established in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. [5] Under its statute, it can prosecute atrocity crimes committed on the territory of member states even when the accused is a national of a non-member country. [5] The Trump administration has previously sanctioned several ICC prosecutors and judges over the court’s investigations and arrest warrants involving Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as its past investigation into US troops in Afghanistan. [5] Trump has said the campaign is aimed at defending Netanyahu and others from prosecution. [5] Rubio said last month that Washington would step up efforts to undermine the ICC, including by persuading other countries to leave the institution. [5] Akane had warned in December that US sanctions could “rapidly undermine the court’s operations in all situations and cases, and jeopardize its very existence”. [5]

Scaling Back U.S.-South Korea Military Drills

Separately, the U.S. and South Korea agreed to shorten the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise from 11 days to five days at President Trump's direction, citing costs and his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, with field training also reduced. [3] South Korea and the United States are scaling down their annual combined exercise that kicked off earlier this week at Washington's request, with the scheduled field training also set to be reduced. [3] The allies agreed to cut short the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise to Friday, concluding the 11-day drills a week earlier than scheduled. [3] The UFS was scheduled to run from Aug. 17-27. [3] Field training exercises, a core part of the drills, will also be reduced to some extent. [3] The Pentagon said it has “substantially” reduced the exercise, with associated live-training events reduced and certain events canceled or converted to simulations. [3] The announcement comes after U.S. President Donald Trump called for scaling down joint South Korea-U.S. military drills in a social media post on Sunday (U.S. time), citing a cost burden and his good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. [3] South Korea and the United States have agreed to halve the duration of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise at Washington's request. [4] The allies decided to end this year's UFS exercise on Friday, shortening the drill to Aug. 17-21 from the originally planned Aug. 17-27 schedule. [4] The shortened schedule is expected to eliminate the latter phase of the exercise, which North Korea has long criticized as a rehearsal for an invasion. [4]

North Korean Response and Diplomatic Context

The downsized drills eliminate the counteroffensive phase that North Korea has criticized, even as Pyongyang condemned the exercises and threatened responses with new military capabilities. [4] Pyongyang, for its part, is responding to the joint exercise in the usual manner, threatening military action while remaining silent on Trump's comments. [4] In a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday, North Korea described in detail the scale and content of the UFS exercise and claimed the drills were going beyond routine military training. [4] “The enemies’ war exercises are not simply following a process of review and rehearsal,” the commentary said. [4] North Korea warned that it would respond with what it described as “evolved new power” to increasingly sophisticated military threats. [4] “Our exercise of the right to self-defense to thoroughly neutralize the enemies’ military threats will be expressed in even more explicit actions until attempts to upset the balance of power in Northeast Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region are completely abandoned,” the commentary said. [4] Wednesday's announcement comes amid growing speculation for a resumption of dialogue between Trump and Kim. [3] The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Trump is pushing for another in-person meeting with Pyongyang's reclusive leader this fall, possibly during his trip to China where he is expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. [3]

Implications for Alliances and International Institutions

United States tensions with allies like Japan, South Korea, and European nations supporting the ICC are being tested by these actions. The sanctions have put Washington at odds with European allies while the scaling back of drills follows earlier adjustments during Trump's first term. [5] The move has also put Washington at odds with European allies as the Netherlands, which hosts the ICC, disapproved of the sanctions. [5] The allies scaled back their joint drills in 2019 during Trump's first term, when the high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang was at its peak. [3] The UFS is primarily designed to train for contingencies against North Korea. [3] “South Korea and the U.S. agreed to discuss and carry out various measures going forward to achieve the objectives of the UFS exercise and establish a robust combined defense posture,” the JCS said. [3]

What to watch next: Reports indicate Trump is pushing for a face-to-face meeting with Kim this year, potentially during his trip for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, in November, which would mark the first such encounter in more than seven years.