The US Moves Against Three Muslim Brotherhood Offshoots With Tiered Terror Designations

The United States announced on Tuesday the implementation of a decision to designate three branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations and to impose sanctions on their leaders and members, as part of the administration of President Donald Trump’s policy to counter what it considers threats to US national security.

The US Departments of the Treasury and State said the move targets the group’s branches in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt, noting that their activities pose risks to American interests and security in the region.

In this context, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that Washington had designated the Brotherhood’s branches in Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan as terrorist groups, stressing that the Trump administration would work to dismantle their capabilities and halt operations that threaten American citizens and national security.

According to a statement from the US State Department, the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood was classified as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) — the highest level of designation — which criminalizes any form of material or financial support under US law.

By contrast, the Brotherhood’s branches in Egypt and Jordan were designated by the Treasury Department as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), over accusations of providing support to Hamas.

For its part, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt rejected the US decision, describing it as lacking credible legal evidence. In an online statement, the group said it renounces violence and poses no threat to the United States, pledging to pursue all available legal avenues to challenge the designation and defend the rights of its members.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian government welcomed the American move. In an official statement, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said the decision represents “a landmark step that reflects the dangerous nature of the Muslim Brotherhood and its extremist ideology, and the direct threat it poses to regional security and stability.”