Iran Condemns New US Sanctions on ICC Judges, Prosecutors
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson condemned the fresh sanctions imposed by the US on two judges and two prosecutors at the International Criminal Court.
“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,” Esmaeil Baqaei said in a post on his X account on Thursday.
“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.
“Such brazen illegality lays bare the true essence of 'rules-based order': a lawless framework purposed to serve their whims in full contempt for any recognized rule of int'l law or human ethics,” the spokesman added.
The US administration on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on two judges and two prosecutors of ICC, as Washington has ramped up its pressure on the war tribunal over its targeting of Israeli leaders and a past decision to investigate US officials.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the court "a national security threat that has been an instrument for lawfare" against the US and Israel.
The US has designated Nicolas Yann Guillou of France, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji, Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal, and Kimberly Prost of Canada. All officials have been involved in cases linked to the Israeli regime and the United States.
The second round of sanctions comes less than three months after the US administration took the unprecedented step of slapping sanctions on four separate ICC judges.
ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli defense chief Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri last November for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict, according to Reuters.
In March 2020, prosecutors opened an investigation in Afghanistan that included looking into possible crimes by US troops, but since 2021, it has deprioritized the role of the US and focused on alleged crimes committed by the Afghan government and the Taliban forces.
