The United States has taken a significant step against what it describes as extremist networks, announcing new terrorist designations targeting several chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In a press statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move reflects the opening phase of a broader effort by the Trump administration to curb groups it believes pose a threat to US national security.
According to Rubio, the decision follows President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14362, which commits the administration to eliminating the “capabilities and operations” of Muslim Brotherhood chapters deemed dangerous to the United States.
As part of this initiative, Washington has imposed terrorist designations on the Lebanese, Egyptian, and Jordanian branches of the organization.
The State Department designated the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity.
In addition, the group’s leader, Muhammad Fawzi Taqqosh, was individually named as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. These labels carry sweeping legal and financial consequences, including asset freezes, travel restrictions, and criminal penalties.
At the same time, the US Treasury Department moved to designate the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Rubio said these two chapters were targeted specifically for “providing material support to Hamas.”
According to the US Treasury press release, Chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood purport to be legitimate civic organizations while, “behind the scenes, they explicitly and enthusiastically support terrorist groups like Hamas.”
Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, John K. Hurley asserted that the Muslim Brotherhood has inspired, nurtured, and funded terrorist groups like Hamas, that are direct threats to the safety and security of the American people and it’s allies.
“Despite their peaceful public façade, both the Egyptian and Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood branches have conspired to support Hamas’s terrorism and undermine the sovereignty of their own national governments.
“This Administration will use all tools at our disposal to hold them accountable for the violence they have encouraged across the Middle East and the world in pursuit of their extreme version of Islam.”
John K. Hurley
Designation Deemed Part Of A Sustained Campaign Against Muslim Brotherhood
In his statement, Rubio framed the action as the beginning of a sustained campaign rather than an isolated measure.
He said that the designations “reflect the opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort to thwart Muslim Brotherhood chapters’ violence and destabilization wherever it occurs.”
Rubio emphasized that United States will use all available tools to deprive these Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism.
The language signals that further steps could follow, potentially involving additional chapters, individuals, or affiliated organizations.
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, is a wide-ranging Islamist movement with branches across several countries. While some governments view it as a legitimate political actor, others regard it as a security threat.
The Muslim Brotherhood chapter in Lebanon, known as al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, is represented in the Lebanese Parliament.
The announcement is likely to carry diplomatic implications across the Middle East, particularly in countries where the Muslim Brotherhood has a political presence or historical influence.
Egypt, which has banned the Brotherhood domestically and designated it a terrorist organization, may welcome the US decision. Lebanon, where the group’s role is more complex and intertwined with local politics, could face added pressure as Washington intensifies scrutiny of Islamist movements it considers destabilizing.
The designations also reinforce the Trump administration’s broader counterterrorism posture, which prioritizes aggressive use of sanctions and legal authorities to disrupt non-state actors.
Executive Order 14362 provides the framework for this approach, directing US agencies to review and act against organizations seen as undermining American security interests.
For now, the administration has made clear that this is only the first phase.
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