Iran Condemns US Sanctioning Four ICC Judges

Writing on X on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baqaei said the move marked a “new low”, even for a country such as the US, which was “badly” addicted to using sanctions and intimidation towards realizing its foreign policy goals.

The US has issued the coercive measures in line with its way of abusing its power and obstructing international justice, he added.The spokesman stressed that the American bans were aimed at “ensuring maximum impunity for Israel’s atrocity crimes and ethnic cleansing in occupied Palestine".Baqaei cited an earlier case in point across the US policies as the American diplomatic representatives at the United Nations Security Council’s vetoing a draft resolution mandating “permanent” ceasefire in the Israeli war against the besieged and bombarded Gaza Strip.

Washington on Thursday announced sanctions on four judges whom the US accuses of taking “illegitimate and baseless actions” against the America and its allies.The US State Department announced the sanctions were issued after the court made decisions to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a separate decision in 2020 to open an investigation into war crimes by US soldiers in Afghanistan.

This is not the first time the US has issued restrictions against an ICC official since Trump returned to office for a second term on January 20. Shortly after taking office, the American leader issued a broad executive order threatening anyone who participates in ICC investigations with sanctions.

The US has also sanctioned ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, who had petitioned the court for the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former War Minister Yoav Gallant.Baqaei regretted that such moves had made the US “the most enduring and persistent accomplice in Israeli regime’s horrifying crimes of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and onslaught".The Iranian diplomat concluded his post by urging the international community to act in response to the deadly US-Israeli partnership, warning that the US actions were undermining the international law and threatening the foundational principles of humanity.