European states, Canada, Japan and the United Nations (UN) came out in defence of the International Criminal Court (ICC) against United States (US) sanctions, after Washington sanctioned the court itself on Friday.

The ICC said the move was an “assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order” and called on its 125 member states to defend the institution. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Washington would ban transactions with the “rogue court”, cutting off its resources and crippling its ability to operate.