Grade 5 of 5

International Crime (Rome Statute)

Grade 5 of 5: International Crime (Rome Statute)

Conduct shown to meet every element of genocide (Article 6), a crime against humanity (Article 7), a war crime (Article 8) or the crime of aggression (Article 8 bis) of the Rome Statute, at least to the “reasonable grounds to believe” standard of Article 58. Each record names the crime and the article it is characterised under. Reporting that only gives a reasonable basis to suspect such a crime (Article 53(1)) is not enough for this grade. Complicity under Article 25(3)(c) or (d) qualifies only where the principal crime is itself established and the assistance was substantial and knowing.

11 incidents

Grade 5 of 5: International Crime (Rome Statute)

U.S. Naval Blockade of Iranian Ports

The United States imposed a full naval blockade on all Iranian ports after peace talks in Islamabad collapsed, threatening to destroy any vessel approaching. The blockade — the first U.S. naval blockade since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis — is a belligerent act that, imposed in furtherance of an unlawful war, is a listed act of aggression (UNGA Res 3314, Art 3(c)). It threatens 25% of global seaborne oil and inflicts severe economic harm on Iran's civilian population; the US declared a humanitarian exemption for food and medicine, and whether that exemption operates in practice is disputed.

Grade 5 of 5: International Crime (Rome Statute)

Defense Secretary Hegseth Declares 'No Quarter, No Mercy' for Iran

The US Defense Secretary's public declaration of 'no quarter, no mercy for our enemies' is assessed as a probable war crime under Rome Statute Article 8(2)(b)(xii), which criminalizes 'declaring that no quarter will be given.' Recognized authorities have applied the law to the statement; no court has ruled. This prohibition is among the oldest in the laws of war.

Grade 5 of 5: International Crime (Rome Statute)

Iran War: Crime of Aggression — War Launched Without Congressional Authorization

The United States launched a major war against Iran without congressional authorization, without a UN Security Council mandate, and while diplomatic channels remained open. The Brennan Center has called the strikes unconstitutional. International lawyers including Adil Haque and Brian Finucane (Just Security) and UN special procedures have characterized them as a manifest violation of the UN Charter and an act of aggression — what the Nuremberg Tribunal called 'the supreme international crime.'

Grade 5 of 5: International Crime (Rome Statute)

Operation Absolute Resolve: Unilateral US Military Intervention in Venezuela

The United States launched a unilateral military intervention in Venezuela, bombing infrastructure and capturing the sitting head of state, without Congressional authorization or UN Security Council mandate. The administration called it a law-enforcement operation, with military support, to arrest an indicted fugitive. International legal experts, the UN Secretary-General, and governments worldwide condemned the operation as a violation of the UN Charter.

Grade 5 of 5: International Crime (Rome Statute)

Eastern Pacific Convoy Strike: Eight Men Who Jumped Overboard Left in the Sea as US Forces Sank Their Boats (December 2025)

A US strike on a three-boat convoy killed three men outright; eight others jumped into rough seas before US forces sank their boats, and none was ever found. The military first reported three dead and confirmed the eight only after reporting by The Intercept. The incident falls within a campaign that a UN Special Rapporteur found, at the reasonable-grounds standard, constituted crimes against humanity of murder.

Grade 5 of 5: International Crime (Rome Statute)

Operation Southern Spear: Lethal Drone Strikes on Caribbean and Pacific Drug Boats

A sustained campaign of Hellfire missile strikes on suspected drug boats has killed at least 231 people (CBS News count, September 2026) without due process, public evidence of drug trafficking, or identification of the dead. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Rapporteur Ben Saul and Human Rights Watch characterise the strikes as extrajudicial killings; Saul's September 2026 briefing note to the Human Rights Council found reasonable grounds that they constitute a crime against humanity, as have several scholars (Lawfare, War on the Rocks).

Grade 5 of 5: International Crime (Rome Statute)

US Airstrike Kills 61 to 68 African Migrants in Yemen Detention Center

US airstrikes killed 61 to 68 detained African migrants sleeping in a Sa'ada detention center during Operation Rough Rider. Amnesty International's investigation found no evidence the facility was a military target and concluded the strike was indiscriminate and must be investigated as a war crime.

Grade 5 of 5: International Crime (Rome Statute)

US Strikes on Ras Issa Fuel Port Kill 84+ Civilians in Yemen

US airstrikes on Yemen's most critical civilian port infrastructure killed 84+ civilians including three children, port workers, truck drivers, and civil defense personnel. HRW found the strikes an apparent war crime: CENTCOM's stated aim of depriving the Houthis of fuel revenue does not make the port a military objective, and even if valid military objectives were attacked, the civilian harm most likely made the attack unlawfully disproportionate.

Grade 5 of 5: International Crime (Rome Statute)

Operation Rough Rider: US Killed More Civilians in 52 Days Than in Previous 23 Years in Yemen

A 53-day US bombing campaign in Yemen produced an unprecedented civilian death toll, with Airwars documenting at least 224 civilian deaths — nearly matching the 258 it recorded over the previous 23 years of US operations in Yemen. Two incidents, the Ras Isa port strike and the Saada migrant detention centre strike, reach the war-crime threshold at the probable level.

Grade 5 of 5: International Crime (Rome Statute)

US Arms Transfers to Israel During ICJ Genocide Proceedings

Continued US arms transfers to Israel during ICJ genocide proceedings, including emergency bypasses of Congressional review and the rescission of the NSM-20 safeguard. This raises complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity for which the ICC has issued arrest warrants (Rome Statute Art. 25(3)(d) and customary aiding and abetting). Complicity in genocide is alleged on the basis of the UN Commission of Inquiry's findings but is unadjudicated.

Grade 5 of 5: International Crime (Rome Statute)

Saudi Arms Deals and Complicity in Yemen War Crimes

Trump's first foreign trip was to Riyadh, where he announced a $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia. The U.S. continued to provide refueling, intelligence, and targeting support for Saudi-led coalition strikes in Yemen throughout the first term, even as the UN documented mass civilian casualties, attacks on protected sites, and a blockade causing mass starvation. Congress passed a War Powers resolution to end U.S. involvement, which Trump vetoed in April 2019, and he vetoed three resolutions disapproving arms sales in July 2019.