US designates International Criminal Court

9 October 2026

The US has designated the International Criminal Court in its entirety under its ICC sanctions regime, EO 14023 – press release; fact sheet. Designation of the Court as an entity means:

• All property owned by the Court in the US is frozen; and

• Unless authorised by a general licence issued by the US, all transactions by US people or companies with the Court are prohibited under US sanctions law.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued 4 general licences following the Court’s designation:

• International Criminal Court-related General License 13 authorises certain transactions for maintenance of operations involving the ICC, such as States Parties’ payments to the ICC, salary payments, health insurance and medical services for ICC employees. The licence expires on 7 April 2027.

• International Criminal Court-related General License 14 authorises transactions related to telecommunications and enterprise software used by the ICC, such as instant messaging, email and social networking.

• International Criminal Court-related General License 15 authorises pension payments related to the ICC.

• International Criminal Court-related General License 16 transactions ordinarily incident and necessary to the continued detention of 9 people currently in detention while they await trial before the Court.

The US State Department said the GL 13 is intended to provide time for States Parties to demonstrate meaningful progress on diplomatic and legal resolutions that address fundamental US concerns regarding the ICC. This GL can be adjusted in response to the success or failure of such efforts to address our concerns.

It is US policy to “dismantle the ICC” including by increasing sanctions on the ICC. 14 people and 3 other entities linked to the Court are designated under EO 14023. This includes the Court’s President Tomoko Akane, prosecutors, and academics and NGOs said to be close to the ICC. More information is on our US-ICC page.