The Trump administration imposed fresh sanctions against the International Criminal Court, signaling its determination to cripple the organization on the same day that a former ICC judge won the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Treasury Department added the entire court to its Specially Designated Nationals list, a move that would impose severe financial punishment on any entity that does business with the ICC. That announcement was a drastic step up from past sanctions that targeted top officials on the court but not the body itself.

The White House has long accused the court of unfairly targeting the U.S., and Secretary of State Marco Rubio made clear the Trump administration was prepared to go even further.

“Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC,” Rubio said in a video posted on Friday.

The symbolism of the move was stark given that it was announced hours after former ICC judge Navi Pillay was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. President Donald Trump, who has long coveted the prize himself, reposted a Truth Social that said the Norwegian Nobel Committee had “shamed itself beyond repair” with its decision.

The ICC was established in 2002 to prosecute perpetrators of the most serious crimes, including war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.

ICC judges have issued a total of 68 arrest warrants, according to its website, including one against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2024 for alleged war crimes in Gaza and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in 2023 for war crimes related to the alleged abduction of children from Ukraine.

The ICC rejected the new sanctions and called on states “to continue taking concrete actions” to ensure it can continue its work.

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With assistance from Max Ramsay.

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