Trump administration readies sweeping sanctions against ICC, reports say

Measures targeting the court itself could disrupt payments, IT services and investigations.The Trump administration is reportedly preparing sweeping sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) that could disrupt the tribunal’s finances and day-to-day operations.The US sanctions would prohibit most transactions with the ICC after a grace period of six to seven months, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2United Nations says US may have committed war crimes in Iran: What it meanslist 2 of 2Duterte in person at ICC for first time over ‘war on drugs’ killingsend of listThe move would mark a sharp escalation in Washington’s campaign against The Hague-based court by targeting the institution itself rather than individual judges and prosecutors.The Trump administration plans to announce the sanctions soon, according to the Reuters news agency, quoting two sources familiar with the matter.The Journal, citing anonymous officials, said a decision could be finalised during this week’s United Nations General Assembly gathering in New York or soon afterwards.If imposed, the measures would generally bar US citizens and companies from providing the ICC with money, goods or services without a licence from the US Treasury.Banks and other companies often take an especially cautious approach to US sanctions because they rely on access to the American financial system.The ICC president and registrar have previously warned that sanctions on the organisation as a whole could interfere with its ability to buy information technology and insurance services, hire investigators and make routine payments, including salaries for American employees.The ICC was created in 2002 to prosecute individuals accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity when national authorities are unable or unwilling to do so.