US designates three Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist organizations

The United States has designated three branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations, in a move that could affect Washington’s relations with Qatar and Türkiye.

Treasure and Foreign Affairs ministries announced moves against the Lebanese, Jordanian and Egyptian branches of the group, which the Trump administration claimed posed a risk to the United States.

MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRY Stopped Sponsoring Students Studying in the UK DUE TO FEAR OF RADICALIZATION: REPORT

The State Department gave the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood its harshest label, designating it as a foreign terrorist organization, making it illegal to provide material support to the group, the Associated Press reported. It also labeled the Jordanian and Egyptian branches of the Treasury Department as specifically designated global terrorists for their support of Hamas. The Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood was also given a special name by the Ministry of Treasury.

“These appointments reflect the opening actions of an ongoing and sustained effort to prevent violence and destabilization of Muslim Brotherhood affiliates wherever they occur,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, according to the AP. he said. “The United States will use all available means to deprive these branches of the Muslim Brotherhood of the resources to engage in or support terrorism.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. President Donald Trump look on during the White House Digital Assets Summit held in the State Dining Room of the White House on March 7, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

THE PAINFUL REPORT CALLS US TO LABEL THE ISLAMIC GROUP THAT INSPIRES ALL ASPECTS OF AMERICAN LIFE AS A TERRORIST ORGAN

The labeling of the Jordanian affiliate as specifically designated global terrorists comes months after Amman announced a sweeping ban on the organisation. The AP noted that although the Jordanian monarchy banned the Muslim Brotherhood a decade ago, it officially licensed the splinter group and continued to tolerate the Islamic Action Front while restricting some of its activities. The Islamic Action Front, a political party affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, won many seats in the 2024 parliamentary elections.

In November, President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for “certain chapters or other subdivisions of the Muslim Brotherhood” to be considered foreign terrorist organizations and specifically designated global terrorist organizations.

The executive order states that the Muslim Brotherhood’s “branches in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt have engaged in, or facilitated and supported, campaigns of violence and destabilization that harm their territories, U.S. citizens, and U.S. interests.”

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after speaking to troops via video at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

The order states that following the attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, “the military wing of the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood joined Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian groups in launching numerous rocket attacks on both civilian and military targets inside Israel.” It is also stated that the Egyptian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood “called for violent attacks” against US partners and interests on October 7, 2023. Additionally, the order states that leaders of the Jordanian branch “have long provided material support to the militant wing of Hamas.”

Both Florida and Texas have designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization; Trump considered doing so during his first term in office in 2019.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.