The diplomat shared a post on X late on Saturday about the issue.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions on Friday hours after former ICC judge Navi Pillay won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. Rubio called on U.S. allies, which are members of the ICC to “rein in the court,” and threatened that the U.S. will “continue its campaign to dismantle the ICC, brick by brick” if allies do not.
“Rubio threatens to dismantle the ICC ‘brick by brick’ if U.S. allies fail to rein it in. Remember the 1930s: international orders collapse not only through aggression, but also when the use of force becomes normalized and the international community remains silent,” Baqaei wrote in his post.
He questioned whether Europe’s alignment with Washington constitutes a defense of international law and the post-World War II institutional order or cooperation in dismantling them.
Baqaei stressed that if law and justice are sacrificed to appease an aggressive and domineering ally, claims of defending human rights and a rules-based international order will amount to nothing more than empty slogans.
The U.S. imposed sanctions on the ICC after the court issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant over war crimes in Gaza.
Maryam Abolbagha - H.Hakimzadeh
