The United States has imposed sanctions on the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and a senior trial lawyer, a move that has deepened allied unease over Washington's campaign against the tribunal.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions on Tomoko Akane of Japan, the ICC president, and Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, a senior trial lawyer, according to statements reported by The Guardian and ABC Australia. Rubio said the two had "directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction," and called the court a "corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate."

The sanctions follow earlier US actions against the ICC. The previous year, President Donald Trump sanctioned several ICC officials after the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, who were being investigated for war crimes during the Gaza war. Trump's executive order stated the court had "engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel," as reported by The Guardian. The US had also sanctioned Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor who led that investigation.

The stated reason for the new sanctions, in Rubio's words, was that Akane and Seye had been involved in ICC efforts to pursue officials from countries that have not consented to the court's jurisdiction or ratified the Rome Statute. Rubio did not specify which particular efforts, but The Guardian reported that Israeli media said Seye is overseeing an investigation into Israeli funding for illegal settlements and the distribution of weapons to settlers in the West Bank. Israeli officials have warned that the ICC may seek additional arrest warrants for ministers and senior military officials over violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to The Guardian's citation of Israeli media.

Allied reaction

The sanctions have drawn a muted but concerned response from allies. The European Union said it "deeply regrets" the decision and expressed "unwavering support" for the ICC, ABC reported.

Australia, a founding member of the ICC, has not publicly condemned the move by its ally. Neither Foreign Minister Penny Wong nor Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has issued a public statement, according to ABC. A spokesperson for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the country "does not support sanctioning the ICC or its officials," though the statement did not mention the United States or the Trump administration.

Citing an unnamed Australian government source, ABC reported that officials are dismayed by what they see as the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to "tear down" the court, and that there are "real concerns" about the destructiveness of the campaign. The source said the campaign is being driven personally by Rubio and that there has been "little or no meaningful public pushback" from US allies across the Western world.

ABC also reported that the Australian government has been quietly maintaining contact with Australians working at the ICC who might be targeted by future US sanctions.

Rubio said the administration has been pressing other countries to "join our campaign by ending their funding and participation in this politicised and unaccountable court." Australia, which supports the ICC's mandate, is not expected to do so, according to ABC.

The US embassy in Canberra declined to comment on the discussions between the US and Australia about the ICC, ABC reported.

This is not the first time Australia has objected to US sanctions on the ICC. In 2020, when Penny Wong was in opposition as shadow foreign minister, she said Labor "objected" to the first Trump administration's sanctions on the court and called on the then-government to take up the issue with its US counterparts, ABC noted.