Rubio escalates US clash with ICC ahead of April sanctions deadline
Why it matters: The measures are set to take effect in April unless court backers and Washington reach a deal to avert them.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sharpened the Trump administration’s confrontation with the International Criminal Court in a Nov. 13 speech in Washington, casting the Hague-based tribunal as an illegitimate constraint on US power. Speaking to the Federalist Society, Rubio argued the United States would not accept the court’s authority over Americans and defended a hard-line foreign policy. The administration announced sanctions against the ICC last month, and they are due to take effect in April unless supporters of the court can strike an agreement with Washington. The ICC, founded in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, has drawn US anger over arrest warrants for Israeli officials including Benjamin Netanyahu and over its Afghanistan investigation.