The Trump administration is preparing to announce sweeping sanctions against the International Criminal Court, targeting the institution directly and, potentially, any company or supplier that does business with it.

The Times reported on 2 October 2026 that American officials are considering options under which no company or supplier could work with the ICC without risking sanctions itself. The anticipated measures would extend the administration's existing retaliation against the court, which has already seen the United States sanction nine ICC judges and four prosecutors in response to the arrest warrant issued for Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister.

The move would deepen tensions with European allies, including the UK. Neither the US nor Israel is a member of the court, which was established in 2002 as the world's highest criminal court to prosecute war crimes and genocide worldwide.

Secondary sanctions under consideration

The next step could involve secondary sanctions imposed on banks, insurers and companies that supply the court. A State Department official said: "We do not preview sanctions or sanction actions. As secretary [of state Marco] Rubio stated, the ICC poses an intolerable threat to US sovereignty."

The department is also weighing actions including "increased scrutiny of nations that refuse to reject the ICC's false authority while relying on US assistance". Another State Department official told The Times: "Nations that partner with American law enforcement and the US military, or that enjoy the benefits of the US security umbrella, are called upon to reject the ICC's purported authority to prosecute American officials and servicemen."

If the US proceeds, the UK will be among the countries under pressure to support the action. The British government has not made a direct comment about the ICC, but Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, has defended international legal processes and said there is "increasing evidence of war crimes in Gaza".

Trump's UN address

When contacted by The Times, the State Department reiterated Trump's address to the UN general assembly in New York in September, in which the president said the US was "opposed to the out of control institution known as the International Criminal Court. We will never allow US service members or anyone else to be investigated or given show trials by an anti-American tribunal with no jurisdiction over us."

Trump called the ICC an evil group of people and urged "all nations that are members of the ICC to officially resign from this rogue institution immediately".

One European diplomat said of the anticipated sanctions: "It's bad news for anyone who supports prosecuting war criminals." Supporters of the court fear the measures could lead to its demise.

The Times understands Trump raised the issue when he met Andy Burnham for the first time, on the sidelines of the UN general assembly last month. European leaders have condemned the president's attack on the court.

European pushback and US politics

Rob Jetten, prime minister of the Netherlands, where the court sits, rejected Trump's calls to dismantle the institution last week. He told the UN general assembly: "I believe there can be only one response, to say hands off the ICC, and all those other institutions that protect the international legal order."

Micheál Martin, the Irish prime minister, pledged his support and said Ireland "strongly opposes efforts to undermine the court".

Within the US, American officials fear the court may start to encroach on US affairs, and growing support for the court among Democrats has created a sense of urgency in the administration. Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic mayor of New York, backed the ICC's arrest warrant for Netanyahu in a podcast interview on Thursday, saying: "I believe that the US government should join the ICC. It should enforce its warrants for everyone."

More centrist senior Democrats remain sceptical. Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, who is expected to become Speaker if the Democrats take back the House in the November midterm elections, has called the warrant "unserious".

The warrants at issue

The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the former Israeli defence minister. Warrants also stand for President Putin of Russia and Maria Lvova-Belova, Putin's children's commissioner, who are accused of overseeing the abduction of thousands of Ukrainian children.

The court had issued arrest warrants before their deaths for Mohammed Deif and Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas commanders responsible for planning the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel in 2023.

Karim Khan, the British lawyer who was chief prosecutor of the ICC and announced the decision to pursue Netanyahu in 2024, was ousted this year over sexual assault allegations, which he has denied.

For practitioners, the anticipated secondary sanctions regime would raise direct compliance exposure for any bank, insurer or commercial supplier contracting with the ICC or its officials, and would require firms with US-linked operations to reassess engagements involving the court, its personnel and states that continue to recognise its jurisdiction.