US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has pledged to dismantle the International Criminal Court (ICC) and called on other nations to join the United States in this effort. The announcement, made Monday, marks a hardening of the Trump administration’s stance against the ICC, which Rubio accused of waging war on the US through international law rather than weapons. The move is being described as a major escalation compared to previous measures.

The US-ICC dispute began during Trump’s first term after the court launched investigations into alleged war crimes by American forces in Afghanistan. The second Trump administration has since imposed sanctions on several ICC officials over probes involving the US and Israel. The State Department is now pressuring countries reliant on US aid to reject the ICC’s authority, warning of potential aid cuts and tighter scrutiny for those who refuse.

According to a State Department official, upcoming actions may include travel bans, visa cancellations, and economic sanctions. Rubio also dismissed allegations that US operations in El Salvador and Iran violated international law, while rights group DAWN accused him of misrepresenting their call for impartial war crimes investigations.