Iran: US threat of sanctions on ICC over Israel arrest warrants 'shameful'
Iran has hit out at the US over reports that American lawmakers are preparing legislation to sanction International Criminal Court officials if they issue arrest warrants against Israeli officials.
With pro-Israel members of Congress having warned repeatedly that the ICC risks consequences from the US if it moves forward with the warrants, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul confirmed that the legislation is in the works.
"This is a shameful and worrying act," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan'ani wrote on X on Thursday, reacting to the US plan by members of Congress in both parties.
"The goal of a group of representatives of US Congress in threatening and pressuring the prosecutors and judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is to provide immunity for war crimes and genocide by the officials and military commanders of the Zionist regime," he added.
US senators have reportedly threatened ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan with “personally targeting him, his family, and his court staff” if he issues arrest warrants against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior military officers.
According to the Zeteo website, a letter sent by 12 members of Congress warned Khan of heavy sanctions if he dared to issue arrest warrants against the Israeli occupation leadership.
The signatories said that if the ICC issues arrest warrants against Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, it will be viewed as a threat not only to Israel’s sovereignty, but also to the sovereignty of the United States, leading to heavy sanctions.
The signatories, the report said, concluded on an ominous note, “You have been warned.”
In his Thursday post, Kan'ani said, "This ugly intervention will create a dangerous trend that is contrary to the goals and philosophy of the International Criminal Court in penalizing and punishing war criminals."
"Global silence in the face of such threats hinders the execution of justice and the continuation of crimes against the Palestinian nation and impunity for its perpetrators," he added.
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