Trump Could Cut ICC From Dollar Rails. Can Crypto Fill the Gap?

The Trump administration has drafted ICC sanctions that would bar most transactions with the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing US officials and documents.

The measures would follow a six to seven month wind down. It would be the first time Washington targets the court as an institution rather than its staff.

Why ICC Sanctions Already Reach the Court's Bank Accounts

The campaign rests on Executive Order 14203, signed in February 2025, which declared a national emergency over the court's investigations of American and Israeli nationals.

It followed the arrest warrants issued in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Israel rejects the court's jurisdiction.

The U.S. has since listed individual judges and prosecutors at the court in The Hague, adding President Tomoko Akane in August.

Those listings closed bank accounts and cancelled credit cards, the Associated Press reported.

"It's the uncertainty. They are small annoyances, but they accumulate," said Judge Kimberly Prost.

Dollar payments clear through US correspondent banks. Banks elsewhere avoid sanctioned parties to protect their own dollar access. An institutional listing would therefore reach salaries, vendors and witness costs paid in any currency.