US President Donald Trump slapped sanctions on the International Criminal Court for probes targeting America and its ally Israel, but the ICC on Friday vowed to continue providing "justice and hope" around the world.

Trump signed an executive order Thursday saying the court in The Hague had "abused its power" by issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who held talks with the US president on Tuesday.

He ordered asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials, employees and their family members, along with anyone deemed to have helped the court's investigations.

The ICC on Friday condemned the move, which it said sought to "harm its independent and impartial judicial work".

"The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world," it said in a statement.

The names of the individuals affected by the sanctions were not immediately released, but previous US sanctions........

© Al Monitor