Nobel peace laureate says US sanctions on ICC 'unacceptable'

However, the US has provided a six-month grace period before some of these latest sanctions kick in, meaning member states can keep paying for its operations - a move Washington says is to allow countries time to negotiate a "solution to address" US concerns.The Trump administration claims that the ICC is run by what it calls globalists who threaten American sovereignty.It is furious over a past investigation into actions of US soldiers in Afghanistan the court has since closed and by its arrest warrants for Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The new sanctions, however, do not say that those warrants must be withdrawn before the measures can be lifted.UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the US decision "a serious blow to our collective pursuit of international criminal justice, of which the ICC is a key pillar".The UK joined Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands in saying they "regret and strongly disagree with" the sanctions.Pillay, 85, also served as UN rights chief, taking part in high-profile work considering allegations of human rights violations, including in Rwanda, Myanmar and Gaza.Her early work included defending anti-apartheid activists in South Africa, and on Friday she became the country's fifth Peace Prize winner - following in the footsteps of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.