Trump Designates Muslim Brotherhood as Terrorist Group
Washington DC – The United States presidential administration of Donald Trump has officially designated branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in three Middle Eastern countries as terrorist organizations. Trump imposed sanctions on the group and its members in all three countries.
The official determination, as reported by the associated Press on Wednesday (January 14, 2026), was announced by the US Department of Finance and the US Department of State on Tuesday (January 13) local time. Three branches of the Muslim Brotherhood – in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt – were officially designated as terrorist organizations.
The US Treasury Department and the US State Department stated in their proclamation that the group poses risks to the US and American interests in the region.
the State Department designated the Muslim Brotherhood’s Lebanese branch as a foreign terrorist organization, making material support to the group a criminal offense. The jordanian and Egyptian branches were designated by the Treasury Department as specially designated global terrorists for providing support to Hamas.
“This designation reflects the initial actions of ongoing efforts to thwart violence and destabilization perpetrated by Muslim Brotherhood branches wherever it occurs,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. “The United States will use all available tools to deprive these Muslim Brotherhood branches of their resources to engage in or support terrorism.”
Egyptian authorities praised the move, calling it an ”important step” in countering extremism.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry stated the decision “reflects the danger of this group and its extremist ideology, as well as the direct threat it poses to regional and international security and stability.” The ministry added the move aligned wiht cairo’s “longstanding position” towards the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been classified as a terrorist organization “based on violence, extremism and incitement.”
This determination followed a mandate given to Rubio and US Secretary of the Treasury scott Bessent last year,based on an executive order signed by Trump,to determine the most appropriate way to impose sanctions on these branches. Washington had stated the Muslim Brotherhood was involved in or supported violence and destabilization campaigns detrimental to the US and other regions. Trump’s order specifically highlighted branches in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt.
The Trump administration claimed a wing of the Lebanese branch launched rockets at Israel following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that sparked war in Gaza. Leaders of the Jordanian branch, Washington said, support Hamas.
Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood is one of the oldest and most influential Islamic organizations in the Middle East. It is indeed currently led by Mohammed Badie, serving a life sentence and a death sentence for allegedly planning violent attacks.Badie and 37 others were accused of conspiring to incite unrest following the 2013 military overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi, also a Brotherhood figure.
Jordan last year became the latest Arab country to ban the Muslim Brotherhood, joining Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates.