TEHRAN - Presidential chief of staff Mahmoud Vaezi wrote in a Twitter post on Saturday that the United States’ move in imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court’s judges and employees shows “the anti-human rights spirit” of the White House.

However Vaezi said the “inefficiency of these sanctions has been proven by resistance of the Iranian people.” 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, and Attorney General Willian Barr, on the heels of an executive order from President Trump, announced on Thursday that the U.S. will authorize economic sanctions against members of the ICC for investigating alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan.

Trump signed the executive order to block the financial assets of court employees and bar them and their immediate relatives from entering the U.S.

Pompeo said, “We cannot, we will not stand by as our people are threatened by a kangaroo court.”

In March, the ICC began an investigation into war crimes in Afghanistan that could involve Americans – the first time the court’s prosecutor had been cleared to investigate U.S. forces. The decision was made on appeal after judges initially rejected the request from chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, whose visa was revoked by the U.S. in April 2019.

The case involves allegations of war crimes committed by Afghan national security forces, Taliban and Haqqani Network fighters, as well as U.S. forces and intelligence officials in Afghanistan since May 2003.

Switzerland on Friday urged the United States to revoke the sanctions. The Swiss Foreign Ministry noted that by prosecuting the most serious crimes – genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and acts of aggression – the ICC contributes to peace and international stability.

NA/PA