# Trump Team Prepares Sanctions on International Criminal Court as World Leaders Gather at UN

*Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 6:07 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-09-22T06:07:10.339Z (3h ago)
**Category**: geopolitics | **Region**: Global
**Importance**: 7/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/18511.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: The Trump administration is preparing sanctions against the International Criminal Court, according to early reports, just as more than 130 heads of state head to New York for the UN General Assembly.

The Trump administration is getting ready to use sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to people briefed on the plans, opening a new front in Washington’s confrontation with global judicial bodies.

Details of the package haven’t been released, but the move would apply economic and legal tools usually aimed at hostile states or individuals to an international court based in The Hague. Earlier U.S. steps against the ICC have included visa limits on court officials. Full sanctions could go further by targeting finances or cooperation with U.S. entities, though the specifics remain unclear.

The timing aligns with a crowded week of diplomacy. About 130 heads of state are traveling to New York for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, a forum where the conduct of wars and questions of accountability will be central themes. President Donald Trump is expected to speak from the Assembly podium today, immediately after Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, following UN practice, giving him a prime slot to explain the U.S. position in front of governments that largely support the court.

Supporters of the ICC see it as one of the few venues where victims of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity can seek legal redress when national courts fail. From the Trump administration’s perspective, and among its allies in parts of Congress, the court is viewed as an overreaching body that threatens U.S. sovereignty and the actions of its partners.

If Washington goes ahead with sanctions, the impact will reach beyond lawyers and diplomats. The ICC’s work touches conflicts in which millions of civilians have suffered. Undermining its ability to function would weaken one of the limited tools available for pursuing individual responsibility in those wars.

Strategically, the move would widen the gap between Washington and key European allies that fund and defend the court. Leaders from those countries will be in New York at the same time as Trump, weighing how to respond without damaging broader security and economic ties with the United States.

Signals to watch in the coming days include the language Trump uses about the ICC in his UN speech, any executive orders or formal designations published afterward, and the tone of reactions from governments that are party to the court.