The U.S. sanctioned the International Criminal Court; its Iran blockade passed three months.
The United States sanctioned the International Criminal Court as an institution, banning transactions to cut off the court's resources, and said it expects allied member states to rein the court in. Washington pressed Iran on three fronts: a U.S. jet disabled a cargo ship running the three-month naval blockade, Treasury blocked the country's automotive and rail sectors, and 28 governments joined Washington in blaming Tehran for an attempted attack on a British air base. At home, the president established a committee of inquiry into removing a Federal Reserve governor, and a closed hearing is set for November 5.
Threads at week's end
The naval blockade of Iran is in its third month. U.S. Central Command counts four commercial vessels disabled and 135 ships turned around since enforcement began, and the president fielded questions on the blockade, Strait of Hormuz transit and oil prices during an October 14 stop in Dublin.
Venezuela moved on two tracks. A third round of reconciliation talks between the interim government and the 2015 National Assembly opened October 14, and a Colombian businessman charged with laundering more than $2 billion out of Venezuelan government programs was arrested October 11 and due in federal court in Miami two days later.
The Federal Reserve fight now has a date: a closed hearing on November 5. The sanctions on the International Criminal Court have no stated end point. The U.S. condition is that the court end its threats, and Washington has asked allied member states to rein it in.
The week's bullets
- Sanctioning the court. The State Department sanctioned the International Criminal Court as an institution on October 9, banning transactions under Executive Order 14203 to cut off its resources. The action reaches the body rather than named officials, and the department said it expects allied member states to rein the court in. Three days later the United States joined 28 other governments in a statement on Iran's covert attacks in Europe — several of those governments are court members.1Oct 9 · State
- Blockade runner disabled. A U.S. fighter jet disabled the Panama-flagged cargo ship Ocean Molica in the Gulf of Oman on October 10 after its crew ignored warnings, Central Command said. The command put the running total at four commercial vessels disabled and 135 ships turned around in three months of enforcement. On October 14 the president answered reporters' questions in Dublin on the blockade, Strait of Hormuz transit and oil prices.2Oct 10 · CENTCOM
- Iran's reach in Europe. The United States and 28 other governments condemned Iran's covert attacks in Europe on October 12, endorsing Britain's finding that Tehran was behind the September 27 attack attempt at a Royal Air Force base in England.3 A day later Treasury's sanctions office brought Iran's automotive and rail sectors under a 2020 blocking order, effective October 1; the determination reaches anyone operating in those sectors, not only named firms.4Oct 12–13 · State / OFAC
- Removing a Fed governor. The president established a White House committee of inquiry to decide whether cause exists to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook over alleged mortgage misstatements; a closed four-hour hearing is set for November 5.5 No president has removed a Fed governor. The inquiry runs alongside a review of the Fed's supervisory record: an independent study, described October 14, found examiners knew of Silicon Valley Bank's risks nine months before its 2023 failure.6Oct · WH
- A command for drones. The War Department will stand up a four-star Autonomous Warfare Command, Secretary Pete Hegseth said on October 14, as the department plans to field hundreds of thousands of one-way attack systems this year. A four-star command puts autonomous weapons on the same organizational footing as the services' major commands. Hegseth said $1 billion in drone funding went straight to operators in the field.7Oct 14 · DOD
- Fees on Spanish ships. The Federal Maritime Commission proposed a $200,000 per-voyage fee on all Spanish vessels, plus limits on imports of certain Spanish goods, after Spain barred U.S.-flagged ships carrying cargo bound for Israel. The target is a NATO ally and European Union member. The measure, published October 15, is a proposal rather than a final rule.8Oct 15 · FMC
- Electricity demand. The Energy Department took three grid actions in five days: it ordered PJM Interconnection to dispatch specified generators and call up backup power through October 16,9 committed $250 million to 84 Tennessee Valley Authority transmission projects across eight states, a $581 million package adding about 2.5 gigawatts of capacity,10 and backed an order making large new electricity users in 13 mid-Atlantic states pay for the generation built to serve them.11Oct 9–13 · DOE
Voices of the week
“Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC.”
Sec. of State Marco Rubio · Oct 91
“Four commercial vessels have been disabled and 135 ships have been turned around during three months of strict enforcement.”
U.S. Central Command, press release · Oct 102
“The Commission proposes a per-voyage fee on all Spanish vessels of $200,000 and restrictions on the import of certain Spanish goods into the United States.”
Federal Maritime Commission, proposed rule · Oct 153
Three more voices
“As President, it is my job to ensure the laws are faithfully executed, including by firing subordinates who cannot be trusted to tell the truth and follow the law.”
Presidential Memorandum on Gov. Lisa Cook · Oct 20264
“[P]ast leaders' energy subtraction policies have made the grid more vulnerable to the risk of blackouts when the sun doesn't shine or the wind doesn't blow.”
Energy Sec. Chris Wright · Oct 125
“A central finding is that supervisors had information about [Silicon Valley Bank]'s major vulnerabilities many months before its failure but did not make appropriate use of it.”
Gov. Bowman, Federal Reserve · Oct 156
Daily briefs this week