From Fox News: The U.S. has designated three branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations, in a move that could impact Washington’s relationships with Qatar and Turkey.
The Treasury and State departments announced the moves against the Lebanese, Jordanian and Egyptian chapters of the group, which the Trump administration asserts pose risks to the U.S.
The State Department gave the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood the most severe of its labels, designating it a foreign terrorist organization, which makes it illegal to provide material support to the group, The Associated Press reported. Additionally, the Treasury Department labeled the Jordanian and Egyptian branches as specially designated global terrorists for providing support to Hamas. The Lebanese chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood was also given a special designation by the Treasury Department.
The labeling of the Jordanian chapter as a specially designated global terrorists comes months after Amman announced a sweeping ban on the organization. The AP noted that while the Jordanian monarchy had previously banned the Muslim Brotherhood a decade ago, it officially licensed a splinter group and continued to tolerate the Islamic Action Front while restricting some of its activities. The Islamic Action Front, a political party linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, won several seats in the 2024 parliamentary elections.
However, nothing was mentioned about U.S.-based Islamic groups tied to the Muslim Brotherhood, such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
A statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio reads:
Today, as a first step in support of President Trump’s commitment to eliminate the capabilities and operations of Muslim Brotherhood chapters that pose a threat to the United States as described in Executive Order 14362, the United States is imposing terrorist designations against the Lebanese, Jordanian, and Egyptian chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Department of State is designating the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), and the group’s leader Muhammad Fawzi Taqqosh as an SDGT. Concurrently, the Department of the Treasury is designating the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood as SDGTs for providing material support to Hamas.
These designations reflect the opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort to thwart Muslim Brotherhood chapters’ violence and destabilization wherever it occurs. The United States will use all available tools to deprive these Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism.
Today, we are designating the Lebanese, Egyptian, and Jordanian chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist groups. Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States will eliminate the capabilities and operations of Muslim Brotherhood chapters that threaten U.S. citizens…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) January 13, 2026
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also posted a lengthy press release, highlighting the Muslim Brotherhood’s links to terrorism.
Today, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, in coordination with the Department of State, is designating the Egyptian and Jordanian branches of the Muslim Brotherhood for their material support to Hamas. https://t.co/EEh0ZtXwp5
— Treasury Department (@USTreasury) January 13, 2026
This comes after President Trump signed an executive order in late November, directing Rubio and Bessent to begin designating certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
At that time it was clarified that Trump’s order initiated a 30-day review led by the State and Treasury Departments to identify Brotherhood chapters in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon for possible designation, which could freeze assets, restrict travel, and criminalize material support for affiliated entities.
Earlier, on Sunday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced, “I signed a law that prohibits sister-city agreements with foreign adversaries like China, Iran, North Korea & Russia. I also signed the toughest law in America banning adversaries from buying land in Texas. I used this law to ban CAIR & Muslim Brotherhood from buying land in Texas.”
I signed a law that prohibits sister-city agreements with foreign adversaries like China, Iran, North Korea & Russia.
I also signed the toughest law in America banning adversaries from buying land in Texas. I used this law to ban CAIR & Muslim Brotherhood from buying land in…
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 12, 2026
Last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order designating both the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations.
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