Iran slams US sanctions on ICC judges, prosecutors
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Iran's Foreign Ministry denounced US sanctions targeting ICC judges investigating "Israel's" war crimes, calling it a blatant abuse of power and complicity in crimes against Palestinians.
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A general view of the exterior of the International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands, March 12, 2025 (AP)
The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry issued a condemnation, denouncing the new sanctions imposed by the United States, which targeted two judges and two prosecutors at the International Criminal Court, in retaliation to ICC's ongoing case against "Israel".
“The United States' imposition of sanctions on four more ICC judges (of Canadian, Senegalese, Fijian, French nationalities) for addressing Israel’s atrocity crimes is not only an unprecedented assault on justice but a blatant complicity in war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Palestine,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in a statement published on X.
“This assault on ICC judges epitomizes a gross abuse of power, granting Israel absolute impunity, licensing further atrocities, and gravely imperiling international peace and security,” he added.
The spokesman added that this blatant illegality exposes the true nature of a "rules-based order," calling it a lawless framework designed to serve its creators' interests with a complete disregard for established international law and human ethics.
US ignores international law, sanctions four ICC judges
The administration of US President Donald Trump escalated its confrontation with the International Criminal Court over cases involving the United States and its ally "Israel" by imposing sanctions on four officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The sanctions specifically target ICC Judge Nicolas Yann Guillou of France, Judge Kimberly Prost of Canada, Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji, and Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal, all of whom have been involved in cases connected to the Israeli regime and the United States.
In an August 20 statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the ICC as “a national security threat” and “an instrument for lawfare” against the US and its allies, stating that “The United States has been clear and steadfast in our opposition to the ICC’s politicization, abuse of power, disregard for our sovereignty, and illegitimate judicial overreach.”
These sanctions freeze any US assets held by the four officials and block their access to the American financial system, in a move that comes less than three months after Washington sanctioned four other ICC judges and which marks the second round of punitive measures against the court this year.
