On July 13th, local time, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wrote an article in the American media outlet The Wall Street Journal, announcing his intention to 'dismantle' the International Criminal Court in order to eliminate the ICC's 'comprehensive threat to U.S. sovereignty'.
Rubio stated that initially, the ICC was portrayed as a “limited mechanism for last resort” that was used only to prosecute the most serious crimes. However, now, the ICC and its allies are seeking to establish a permanent international court with almost unlimited jurisdiction, which would give it the power to override the courts and constitutions of the United States and other sovereign nations, and to prosecute and arrest American military personnel and officials.
ICC intervened in US military and law enforcement actions, not only to address the serious abuse of power by its own purported sovereignty, but also a sign of the demise of the United States as an independent sovereign nation. Rubeio accused ICC for targeting US citizens and emphasized that "US citizens never consented" to ICC's powers.
On the same day, a press release was published on the website of the U.S. State Department. Rubio announced a comprehensive diplomatic action, stating that 'a government-wide response will be taken to systematically undermine the operational capabilities of the ICC, thereby preventing it from targeting American military personnel or officials, or threatening U.S. sovereignty in any other way.'
The US State Department said that measures under consideration include urging other countries to withdraw from the ICC, demanding that they reject accusations against US officials and military personnel by the ICC, and issuing visas to ICC personnel and imposing travel bans on them.
On the 13th, Rubio released a video statement, directly targeting the ICC with the video screenshot.
The ICC was established in 2002, located in The Hague, the Netherlands. Its main function is to prosecute and try individuals who commit genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, or aggression. It is worth noting that China, Russia, and the United States, as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, have not joined this treaty. The United States signed the Rome Statute on December 31, 2000, but withdrew its signature before being ratified by Congress.
According to Reuters, U.S. President Trump and other American officials, including former President Bush, have long argued that the ICC should not have the power to investigate and prosecute Americans, especially military personnel.
Earlier this year, Reuters reported that the Trump administration supported sanctions against ICC officials. Part of the reason was to prevent the court from possibly holding Trump or his officials accountable for actions carried out by the U.S. military overseas in the future.
In fact, Trump’s hostility towards the ICC has existed for a long time, even during his first term in office. This hostility was further intensified in November 2024, when Trump had just won the election, and the ICC brought charges against his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
