The United States has imposed economic and travel sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan, making him the first individual targeted under a new executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The order, issued Thursday, aims to penalize the war crimes tribunal over its investigations involving U.S. citizens and allies, sources told Reuters.
Khan, a British national, was named in a classified annex to the executive order, which has not yet been made public. The sanctions freeze his U.S.-based assets and prohibit him and his family from entering the country. The move was confirmed by a senior ICC official and another source briefed by U.S. government officials, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity.
The executive order directs U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in consultation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to submit a report within 60 days listing additional individuals who could face similar sanctions.
The ICC strongly condemned the sanctions, reaffirming its commitment to justice. "The Court will continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all situations before it," ICC officials said in a statement after an emergency meeting in The Hague.
The tribunal, established in 2002, prosecutes genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in member states or in cases referred by the United Nations Security Council.
A group of 79 countries, representing about two-thirds of the ICC’s members, warned that the U.S. sanctions could undermine international justice. "Sanctions would severely undermine all situations currently under investigation as the Court may have to close its field offices," the nations said in a joint statement.
Under an agreement between the United Nations and the U.S., Khan is expected to travel to New York to brief the U.N. Security Council on cases it has referred to the ICC, including those in Libya and Sudan’s Darfur region. U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq emphasized the need for Khan to continue his work without restrictions. "The International Criminal Court is an essential element in fighting impunity, and it must be allowed to work in full independence," Haq said.
Trump’s executive order comes amid heightened tensions over the ICC’s recent cases, particularly its arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
During a visit to Washington, Netanyahu praised Trump’s decision, calling the ICC a "scandalous" institution that "threatens the right of all democracies to defend themselves."
This is the second time Trump has imposed sanctions on ICC officials. During his first term, he took similar action against court personnel investigating alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan.
The latest sanctions mark a significant escalation in the long-standing U.S. opposition to the ICC’s authority over non-member states, with potential implications for international accountability and the rule of law.