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The United States on Tuesday designated branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan as terrorist organizations, a move long sought by U.S. conservatives and several Arab allies.
The decision targets the pan-Islamist movement founded in Egypt in 1928, which once expanded across much of the Muslim world but has faced sustained pressure and decline in recent years as major Arab powers moved to curb its influence.
“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.
“The United States will use all available tools to deprive these Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism,” he continued.
The designations allow the United States to block any assets the organizations hold in the country and make it a crime to engage in financial transactions with them. The move also sharply restricts members’ ability to travel to the United States.
“The Treasury Department is taking action pursuant to President Trump’s leadership by designating Muslim Brotherhood Branches as Terrorist Organizations,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.
“The Muslim Brotherhood has a longstanding record of perpetrating acts of terror, and we are working aggressively to cut them off from the financial system. This Administration will deploy the full scope of its authorities to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat terrorist networks wherever they operate in order to keep Americans safe,” the statement added.
Egypt welcomed the decision, which President Donald Trump initiated in November following repeated calls from Republicans.
The terrorist designation “reflects the danger of this group and its extremist ideology and the direct threat it poses to regional and international security and stability,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Muslim Brotherhood rose to power in Egypt after the 2012 election of Mohamed Morsi, following the overthrow of longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak. Under Mubarak, the group was officially banned but allowed to operate some social service networks.
The U.S. action is expected to place additional pressure on countries that host Brotherhood-linked entities.