US imposes sanctions on ICC President Tomoko Akane, according to Treasury Department

The United States Treasury Department announced sanctions against Tomoko Akane, the Japanese judge serving as President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), on Tuesday. This action marks an escalation in the Trump administration's ongoing campaign against the Hague-based court, which the US is not a member of. Previous sanctions targeted ICC officials following arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant, and a past probe into US troops in Afghanistan. The sanctions freeze US assets and restrict access to the US financial system for those targeted. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, "The Trump Administration has been clear: the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate. We will not tolerate its assault on state sovereignty." The administration also issued a general license allowing for the wind-down of transactions involving Akane until September 17, and Rubio indicated further efforts to undermine the ICC.