Trump to sanction major international court that has arrest warrant for Netanyahu

The US Treasury has announced it is imposing new sanctions on individuals and tankers helping to ship millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil to China each year.

It comes days after Donald Trump moved to restart the "maximum pressure" campaign against the country, with the White House specifically noting the treasury will move to "implement a campaign aimed at driving Iran's oil exports to zero."

In a statement, the treasury said oil was being shipped on behalf of the general staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and through two front companies.

Individuals in China, India and the UAE are also targeted by the sanctions, as well as several ships.

The sanctions block access of the individuals and entities to any of their assets in America and prohibit US foreign assistance. 

Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said Iran is "focused on leveraging its oil revenues to fund the development of its nuclear program" and support terrorist proxy groups in the region.

"The US is committed to aggressively targeting any attempt by Iran to secure funding for these malign activities."

Donald Trump will sign an executive order today sanctioning the International Criminal Court, accusing it of improperly targeting the US and Israel, according to a copy of a fact sheet supporting the order seen by our US partner network NBC.

The order will place financial and visa sanctions on individuals and their family members who assist in ICC investigations of US citizens or US allies.

Last November, the ICC sparked backlash in Washington by issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defence minister and several Hamas leaders simultaneously. 

The Trump administration order claims this created a "shameful moral equivalency".

The authority in charge of the Panama Canal has denied a claim by the US that American ships would be able to cross the canal without paying fees.

The US State Department previously claimed the Panamanian government had agreed to halt crossing fees for American government vessels, in a move that would save millions of dollars a year.

But the autonomous canal authority has since hit back, saying it had not made any such adjustments to its tolls.

Panamanian President Raul Mulino criticised America's claim as an "intolerable" falsehood at a news conference today.

Trump has previously accused Panama of charging excessive rates to use its trade passage and threatened to take back control of the crossing.

Donald Trump's Gaza takeover plan has "pretty much united the global community" against the US president, our international correspondent Diana Magnay says.

Speaking to presenter Jayne Secker, Magnay describes Trump's move as an "extraordinary way to be conducting policy", adding it is something Trump has been laying the groundwork for.

"When USAID, the international development agency which Elon Musk seems to be closing down, Egypt and Israel were the exception," she explained.

Despite the fact Egypt has publicly said it will not take Palestinian refugees, Magnay says Trump could be trying to twist its arm with military provisions in exchange.

Turning to the ceasefire in Gaza, Magnay says Hamas will "presumably double down".

"The third stage is meant to see the removal of Israeli troops," she adds. 

"I cannot see that happening. If the Palestinians are going to be asked or perhaps forced to leave, then you have the same situation back on the ground.

"That is not the stability Trump was calling for in the region."

Benjamin Netanyahu is still in Washington for meetings with US officials.

The Israeli prime minister became the first foreign leader to meet with Donald Trump during his second term when he arrived in the US capital this week.

He's also had meetings with Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and defence secretary Pete Hegseth during his visit.

The image below shows Netanyahu after his meeting with congressional leaders today, including Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer.

Hamas has called for a summit of Arab countries after Donald Trump doubled down on his Gaza "takeover" proposal (see our 12.07pm post).

Spokesman Hazem Qassem called the plan "totally unacceptable" and insisted "Gaza is for its people and they will not leave".

Qassem said Trump's remarks "amount to an open declaration of intent to occupy the territory".

"We call on the Arab people and international organisations to take strong action to reject the Trump project."

By Alistair Bunkall, Middle East correspondent

Donald Trump is not a man in the habit of backing down.

His astonishing proposal to "own" Gaza and relocate two million Palestinians has faced unanimous opposition from America's allies, but the president now has a plan and woe betide anyone who gets in the way. And that includes international law.

"The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of the fighting," he wrote on Truth Social earlier today.

Never mind that Gaza is not Israel's land to turn over.

"The Palestinians... would have already been settled in safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region."

Never mind that most countries in the region have angrily opposed this suggestion.

Aware, perhaps, that the prospect of US troops being sent to Gaza, possibly for decades, would meet opposition in Congress, Trump added "no soldiers by the US would be needed".

Well, that clears one question up. 

But who would be responsible for security in Gaza? Local police officers who are affiliated to Hamas? 

Private security contractors made of former American soldiers, operating under rules of engagement set by... who?

While most of the world is recoiling at all this, in Israel they are leaning into it. 

Hard.

The defence minister, Israel Katz, has ordered the IDF to prepare plans to allow Gazans to leave by land, sea or air. This is being framed as voluntary migration, giving Gazans the freedom to leave for a better life elsewhere.

Some might. 

But what if most don't. Then what?

Voluntary migration sounds nice and all, but how voluntary would it be, really?

Palestinians, human rights organisations and others argue that after 15-and-a-half months of constant bombardment, Israel has left Gaza uninhabitable and so any departure would be down the barrel of guns that have been pointing at them for almost a year and-a-half.

Faced with all this, Trump, Netanyahu and their ministers continue to insist that only they know what's best for Gazans.

Has anyone actually asked the people of Gaza? 

The UK government has offered fresh opposition to Donald Trump's proposal for Palestinians to leave Gaza - after Sir Keir Starmer and foreign secretary David Lammy objected to it yesterday.

Foreign Office minister Anneliese Dodds told MPs this morning: "We would oppose any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will.

"There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip."

Read the full story here:

Donald Trump has been speaking again in Washington at a prayer breakfast.

He began his meandering speech by talking around his first days in office - with international correspondent Diana Magnay describing it as a "kind of eulogy" to his premiership so far.

But in the middle of his remarks, Trump announced he will sign an executive order today to make attorney general Pam Bondi the head of a task force to "eradicate anti-Christian bias".

"You never heard about that one before but it's about time," he said.

The task force will halt "anti-Christian discrimination" in the federal government and prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism, he said.

He also announced the creation of a presidential commission on religious liberty.

It will "work tirelessly to uphold" religious freedom, he said.

Reacting to the speech, Magnay said: "He didn't use the word 'multi-faith' at any point.

"It felt to me that he was focusing pretty much on the Christian faith - rather than bringing all Americans of all faiths on board."

Sports correspondent Rob Harris answers the key questions after Donald Trump banned transgender women and girls from playing in female sports in an executive order last night.

With the US set to host the Olympics in 2028 and the World Cup in 2026, he looks at what the ban means for athletes, schools and athletic associations.

We streamed the Q&A live and it's just finished - but you can catch up on what he said here: