The deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the permanent war crimes court in The Hague, says new US sanctions are starting to affect its staff. She also says they have not stopped the court's work. Nazhat Shameem Khan made the remarks in an interview with The Guardian published Saturday. 1
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions on Oct. 9. He called the ICC a "rogue court" and said: "Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC." 1
Banks acting early
The sanctions are not due to take effect until six months after Oct. 9. Khan said some staff are already having trouble with banks anyway. She said the banks are "over-complying" to limit their own risk while the full scope of the measures is unclear. 1
Khan said the sanctions are aimed at the institution, and staff should not be hit directly in principle. "But again, what I am hearing from members of our staff is that some of them are experiencing difficulties in banking," she said. 1
The Associated Press reported that the sanctions cut the court off from US-based financial services, technology companies and US dollars. US companies and individuals that do business with the court have six months to wind that business down. 2
What the court says it is doing
Khan said the Gaza war investigation and others have made "significant progress." That work follows the November 2024 arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Galant. 1
No new Gaza charges have been announced since late 2024. Khan said that is because the court ruled this year that charges and warrant applications stay secret until judges decide they can be made public. Further applications from the prosecutor are being kept secret by order of the court, she said. 1
The court is also trying to shield itself. It has switched its software from Microsoft to European alternatives. It is negotiating with service providers over banking and health insurance. Its registrar is talking with the European Union about blocking the US sanctions or protecting the court in other ways. 1
We see the faces of our victims for whom sanctions and credit cards are completely irrelevant. They just want justice.
Disputed claim about Americans
Rubio claimed, without evidence according to The Guardian, that "globalist 'experts' an ocean away" wanted the ICC to prosecute US citizens. Khan said it was unclear whom he meant. She said the court has not brought any Americans before it. 1
On Afghanistan, she said the investigation's priority is crimes against women, girls and other vulnerable groups by the Taliban and by the Islamic State Khorasan. This month the court unsealed four arrest warrants against Taliban members on gender persecution charges. 1
What happens next
Rubio gave the ICC a six-month grace period "to negotiate and present a solution to address our concerns." The Guardian said it is unclear what would satisfy the administration. 1 Rubio also said that if allies do not join, the US "will continue its campaign to dismantle the ICC, piece by piece." 2
Support for the court is also coming from abroad. On Thursday the European Parliament awarded the court and its officials its Sakharov prize for freedom of thought. 1 Eight governments, including Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and the UK, said they strongly disagree with the sanctions. 2
That matters because the sanctions reach well past one court. They test whether the US will use financial pressure against an international body that investigates war crimes. How banks and allies respond over the next six months will show how far that pressure reaches.
The Record
Sources
- The Guardian, “ICC prosecutor says court making 'significant progress' despite US sanctions” (2026-10-24). theguardian.com/law/2026/oct/24/icc-deputy-prosecutor-nazhat
- AP (via News4JAX), “US hits International Criminal Court with sweeping sanctions as part of drive to dismantle tribunal” (2026-10-09). news4jax.com/news/world/2026/10/09/us-hits-international-cri
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