Rubio says US has begun steps to declare ICC an illegitimate institution

WASHINGTON, United States — WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration regards the International Criminal Court as an illegitimate institution and has begun steps to address it, speaking at a Cabinet meeting at Camp David. Rubio said the court had no legitimate standing and that work in that direction was continuing. The comments come as part of a wider campaign launched on July 13, 2026, aimed at undermining the court, according to officials. The White House has argued the ICC poses an intolerable threat to U.S. sovereignty. Among the measures under consideration are financial sanctions, travel bans, visa revocations for court personnel, and diplomatic pressure on allied countries to withdraw from the court or reject its jurisdiction over U.S. citizens. Since the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, the administration has limited leverage, confined to diplomatic and financial channels. Tensions have escalated since the ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, and in March 2023 for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The United States, Israel and Russia have opposed the rulings, as none of them are parties to the Rome Statute. Several European countries, led by Germany, have defended the court and described Washington's posture as a threat to the international legal order. Rubio, when he was a senator four years ago, co-sponsored a resolution supporting ICC war crimes investigations in Ukraine and backed the court's jurisdiction in Sudan and Libya cases.