The United States is considering imposing sanctions against the entire International Criminal Court (ICC) as soon as this week, it has been reported.

Washington has already placed targeted sanctions on several prosecutors and judges, but naming the court itself in the sanctions list would be a major escalation. It would put the court’s day-to-day operations in jeopardy.

Six sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters that a decision on such “entity sanctions” was expected soon.

A state department spokesman accused the ICC of asserting what it said was its “purported jurisdiction” over US and Israeli personnel and said that Washington was going to take further steps, although the spokesman did not say exactly what.

Sanctions applied to the court as an entity could affect a number of day-to-day activities, including the court’s ability to pay its staff, access to bank accounts and routine office software on its computers.