Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has denounced US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s threat to dismantle the International Criminal Court (ICC) “brick by brick” if Washington’s allies fail to rein in the tribunal, describing the move as a direct assault on the post-World War II institutional framework.

In a post on X on Saturday night, Baghaei recalled the lessons of the 1930s, noting that “international orders collapse not only through aggression, but when the use of force becomes normalized and the world remains silent.”

He challenged European governments directly: “Does standing by an alliance mean defending international law and the post-WWII normative & institutional framework – or standing with the U.S. as it dismantles them?”

Baghaei warned that sacrificing law and justice to appease an aggressive ally reduces any talk of human rights and a “rules-based international order” to “empty rhetoric.”

The remarks underscore Iran’s longstanding position that selective application of international law by Western powers undermines the very institutions established after 1945 to prevent aggression and protect civilian populations.

Politics of fear: Imaginary enemies and ‘acceptable’ destruction of American cities

In a separate statement, Baghaei said the US ruling establishment has manufactured an “imaginary enemy in the sky” to frighten its own population and divert attention from the real threat on the ground.

“The real danger lies neither beyond their borders nor in the skies over Los Angeles and San Diego,” he wrote. “It lies in a ruling establishment that has imposed an illegal war on the world, with global consequences.”

Baghaei highlighted a comment by the US president describing the potential destruction of Los Angeles and San Diego as “a very small price to pay,” calling the remark a textbook case of fear politics.

He said this approach involves frightening the public with a fabricated external threat, normalizing the destruction of American cities themselves, and shifting focus away from the establishment’s own record of launching and sustaining illegal wars.

Baghaei to Rubio: Distorted narratives cannot erase US record of broken commitments

Esmaeil Baghaei has dismissed claims by Marco Rubio that Tehran has repeatedly squandered chances for an agreement.

Iran has consistently argued that US policies, ranging from unilateral sanctions and military interventions to efforts to shield allies from accountability, have eroded multilateral institutions and normalized the use of force.

International order requires the equal application of law, not selective enforcement designed to protect powerful states and their partners.