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Trump tells countries to quit ICC. Few follow his lead

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The Straits Times. (2026, September 24). Trump tells countries to quit ICC. Few follow his lead. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/trump-tells-countries-to-quit-icc-few-follow-his-lead

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The Straits Times · collected 2026-09-24 · by The Straits Times

Quick Summary

President Donald Trump urged countries to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC) during the UN General Assembly, describing it as “evil” and a “rogue institution.” Only Nauru has followed this directive so far among the 125 nations that are parties to the Rome Statute. The U.S. has launched a campaign against the ICC, imposing financial sanctions and visa bans on its staff, while some countries like Venezuela and Chad have announced plans to withdraw from the court. In contrast, European Union officials have defended the ICC’s role in international justice and discussed potential countermeasures to US sanctions.
Written by AI on 2026-09-24, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

As of September 2026, President Donald Trump told reporters that the U.S. is "hopefully toward the end" of its ongoing war with Iran, which began on February 28 and has lasted for seven months. Despite this hopeful statement, there are no clear timelines or significant de-escalation efforts in sight. The conflict continues to disrupt global oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing up oil prices to over $108 per barrel. Additionally, Iran's foreign minister is under pressure from China and international concerns to reopen the strait and return to a previous interim peace deal with the U.S.

Meanwhile, tensions have escalated beyond Iran into Yemen, where Houthi rebels, aligned with Iran, pose significant threats near the Red Sea, complicating efforts at regional stability. The conflict has also drawn in other nations such as Saudi Arabia, which is offering extra crude oil through Oman to ease supply disruptions and stabilize oil prices.

At the United Nations General Assembly, Trump further alarmed global leaders by threatening to "annihilate" Iran if necessary, raising concerns about the potential for catastrophic outcomes involving nuclear weapons. This rhetoric contrasts sharply with past U.S. presidents who emphasized caution regarding such extreme measures. Despite these challenges, there is an urgent need for multilateral solutions and effective engagement through international bodies like the UN to address ongoing conflicts and crises around the world.

Written for “Trump's UN Speech Controversies” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 206 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Trump's UN Speech Controversies
Politics · 207 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 10% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Trump calls International Criminal Court ‘evil’ and demands members resign immediately Same event
The Independent
Hedges 3 of 18 claims Outlet record 59/100
‘Hands Off!’: European Leaders Reject Trump's Call to Quit the ICC Same event
TIME
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 3 of 44 claims Outlet record 59/100
Hot air wafts from the East River Different event
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 70/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the UN General Assembly without clearly referring to the same specific incident.”
Trump administration prepares sanctions against International Criminal Court, sources say Different event
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 4 of 16 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses the preparation and planning for sanctions against the ICC by US officials, while Article B reports on a public address by Trump urging countries to leave the ICC during the UN General Assembly, which appears to be a separate event.”
Trump administration prepares sanctions against International Criminal Court, sources say Different event
South China Morning Post
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 1 of 5 claims Outlet record 64/100
“Article A discusses preparations for sanctions against the ICC, while Article B reports on Trump urging countries to leave the ICC at a UN General Assembly meeting.”
Trump administration readies sweeping sanctions against ICC, reports say Different event
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 5 of 18 claims Outlet record 60/100
“While both articles discuss actions against the ICC under the Trump administration, Article A refers to sanctions preparation, while Article B describes a speech urging countries to leave the ICC.”
Trump invades the UN with a brutish speech | Ted Widmer Different event
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 7 of 44 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss Trump's stance against the International Criminal Court at the UN, Article A focuses on his overall speech and attitude towards the UN, while Article B specifically addresses his call for countries to leave the ICC.”
Trump administration prepares sanctions against International Criminal Court, sources say Different event
The Hindu
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 4 of 16 claims Outlet record 60/100
“While both articles discuss actions taken against the International Criminal Court by the Trump administration, they describe different phases or steps in a broader campaign: Article A refers to sanctions being prepared, while Article B reports on Trump's direct appeal at the UN General Assembly.”
Trump administration prepares sanctions against International Criminal Court, say sources Different event
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 4 of 18 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A reports on the preparation of sanctions against the ICC by the Trump administration, while Article B describes Trump's call for countries to leave the ICC during a speech at the UN General Assembly.”
Trump planning sanctions against International Criminal Court over Netanyahu arrest warrant: report Different event
The Independent
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 8 of 21 claims Outlet record 59/100
“The articles describe different stages of Trump's actions against the ICC: planning sanctions in Article A versus urging countries to leave the ICC at the UN General Assembly in Article B.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
20
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
10%
2 of 20 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
66/100
The Straits Times's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
207
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-24 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Straits Times · 4032 article(s) · 5 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 5 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

The Straits Times
2534 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 President Trump loves his supporters, and in addition to nearly 20 tele-rallies, he will hold back-to-back rallies in Kansas and Iowa on Sunday,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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🔮 William Galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution think-tank, said two of Trump’s decisions this term have directly contributed to cost pressures: launching the war on Iran and slapping tariffs on trade partners.
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🔮 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio opened talks on Oct 30 with Group of 20 (G-20) counterparts including Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, in meetings set to be fractious as wars in Ukraine and Iran, alongside surging energy costs, fan discord.
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 2534 articles by The Straits Times →

Topics

ICC Naoero UNITED NATIONS the Rome Statute the UN General Assembly

Subjects

ICC ORG · 13× Trump PERSON · 4× Japan GPE · 3× Naoero GPE · 3× Putin PERSON · 2× Washington GPE · 2× the UN General Assembly ORG · 2× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× UNITED NATIONS GPE · 1× the International Criminal Court ORG · 1×

Narrative

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced their exits the previous year, denouncing the court as an instrument of "neocolonial repression." Naoero President David Adeang said in his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday he would formally withdraw his country from the Rome Statute due to the ICC’s “increasing irrelevance.”
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-24
🔮 The US has imposed financial sanctions and visa bans on court staff, and officials have prepared sanctions that could undercut the court's ability to operate, sources familiar with the matter said.
2026-09-24 · The Straits Times
Trump tells countries to quit ICC. Few follow his lead · assertive framing

Claims (20 extracted, 2 hedged)

Trump tells countries to quit ICC. asserted
Trump → tell → ICC
Few follow his lead UNITED NATIONS, Sept 24 - President Donald Trump urged countries to leave the International Criminal Court immediately, calling it "evil" and "a rogue institution," but only Naoero, a tiny Pacific island nation formerly known as Nauru, has followed suit during the UN General Assembly this week. asserted
Naoero → follow → Assembly
Trump's appeal on Tuesday capped an escalating US campaign against the Hague-based court, which Washington says oversteps its authority by claiming jurisdiction over citizens of countries, including the United States and Israel, that have not ratified its founding treaty known as the Rome Statute. asserted
that → cap → Statute
While a handful of countries have moved to leave the ICC, many governments, particularly in Europe, have rallied to defend it as a cornerstone of international justice. asserted
governments → move → justice
Parties to the statute include 125 countries. asserted
Parties → include → countries
The US has imposed financial sanctions and visa bans on court staff, and officials have prepared sanctions that could undercut the court's ability to operate, sources familiar with the matter said. uncertain
sources → impose → matter
'DISMANTLE THE ICC' In July, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched a diplomatic push to "dismantle the ICC — brick by brick, if necessary," claiming the court posed a threat to American service members and those carrying out Trump's deportations of migrants and strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats. asserted
court → dismantle → boats
Trump has said the campaign is aimed at protecting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, against whom the ICC issued arrest warrants in 2024 alongside his then-defense minister and a Hamas military commander over the Gaza war. asserted
ICC → say → war
Since Rubio announced the campaign, Venezuela and Chad have announced plans to withdraw from the court. asserted
Venezuela → announce → court
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced their exits the previous year, denouncing the court as an instrument of "neocolonial repression." Naoero President David Adeang said in his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday he would formally withdraw his country from the Rome Statute due to the ICC’s “increasing irrelevance.” asserted
he → announce → irrelevance
"Naoero joins a growing number of nations standing up for their sovereignty against the ICC’s illegitimate overreach,” US Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre said on X after meeting the island nation's deputy foreign minister. asserted
DeSombre → join → minister
The European Union rallied behind the Netherlands-based court and officials have discussed drawing up a blocking statute in response to the potential US sanctions. asserted
officials → rally → sanctions
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters this week the bloc had options to defend the court. asserted
bloc → tell → court
"We have the tools in our toolbox when it gets really serious, how to defend ICC, and here (at the UN) we are rallying countries behind supporting the ICC functioning and the accountability part because it's not only a European issue; it's much broader than that,” she said. asserted
she → have → that
Japan's government called the proposed sanctions "very unfortunate" and dispatched an official to The Hague to discuss how it could support her. uncertain
it → call → her
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi noted Japan’s support for the ICC in her address to the General Assembly on Tuesday. asserted
Takaichi → note → Tuesday
“Since the end of the Second World War, Japan, as a peace-loving nation, has attached great importance to the rule of law in the settlement of any disputes,” Takaichi said. asserted
Takaichi → love → disputes
Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, said many countries remain invested in the ICC's mission of accountability, limiting the impact of Washington's campaign against the court. asserted
countries → say → court
He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin targeted the ICC after it issued a warrant for his arrest. asserted
it → note → arrest
“The Trump administration has managed to align itself with Putin in terms of, you know, imposing targeting ICC personnel with sanctions, and of course, Putin would also benefit from the destruction of the court,” Finucane said. asserted
Finucane → manage → court
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