Jordanian supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood wave the Palestinian flag during a rally organized to celebrate the "victory of Gaza" in the war against Israel, in the capital Amman, on Aug. 8, 2014. (Credit: Khalil Mazraaoui/AFP)
The U.S. administration designated the Lebanese, Jordanian and Egyptian branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations on Monday, accusing them of supporting Hamas, according to a statement released by the U.S. Treasury on Tuesday.
The three chapters were listed as "Specially Designated Global Terrorists" due to the assessment by the U.S. government that they "pose a risk to the United States and American interests."
Unlike the Egyptian and Jordanian branches, the State Department also designated the Lebanese branch a "foreign terrorist organization," which makes it a criminal offense to provide material support to the group.
The State Department also designated the Secretary-General of the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood, Mohammad Fawzi Takkoush, as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist."
“These designations reflect the opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort to thwart Muslim Brotherhood chapters’ violence and destabilization wherever it occurs,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement relayed by the Associated Press.
“The United States will use all available tools to deprive these Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism.”
Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were mandated in November under an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump to determine the most appropriate way to impose sanctions on the groups.
The order singled out the chapters in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, noting that a wing of the Lebanese chapter had launched rockets following the start of the Gaza war. Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, the Lebanese Islamist party affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, joined Hezbollah in its “support front” for Hamas between 2023 and 2024.
Courtney Freer, a Gulf researcher at Emory University, told L'Orient Today in November that the rationale behind this move is part of a broader regional initiative to put pressure on Hamas and Hezbollah.
As for the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (EMB), the Treasury said the group had coordinated with Hamas coordinated on "possible terrorist activities against Israeli interests in the Middle East."
"In mid-2025, leaders in Hamas’ military wing sought to take advantage of tensions in the Middle East and worked with the EMB to undermine and destabilize the Egyptian government, accepting Hamas funding to do so," the statement alleged.
As for the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, their members have been engaged in manufacturing rockets, explosives, and drones, as well as recruitment operations in cooperation with entities abroad, according to the Treasury.
Quoted by AP in Tuesday's report, Nathan Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, said some allies of the U.S., including the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, would likely be pleased with the designation.
“For other governments where the brotherhood is tolerated, it would be a thorn in bilateral relations,” including in Qatar and Turkey, he said.
The Muslim brotherhood was founded in Egypt in the 1920s as an Islamic political movement but was banned there in 2013.
