By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – US on Wednesday has designated the Muslim Brotherhood-linked branches operating in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan as “terrorist organizations”, imposed financial as well as travel sanctions against the group.
According to the Trump administration, the Muslim Brotherhood has a longstanding record of perpetrating acts of terror.
The action has been taken as a measure to deprive them of funds or any financial support.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a post on X, wrote, “The Treasury Department is taking action pursuant to President Trump’s leadership by designating Muslim Brotherhood Branches as Terrorist Organizations. This Administration will deploy the full scope of its authorities to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat terrorist networks wherever they operate to keep Americans safe.”
US authorities have alleged that the Muslim Brotherhood have links to the Palestinian group Hamas.
It accused the group of undertaking activities against Israeli interests in the Middle East and encouraging violent terror attacks against American partners in the region.
The Treasury Department said in a statement announced the designations “Chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood purport to be legitimate civic organizations while, behind the scenes, they explicitly and enthusiastically support terrorist groups like Hamas”.
The Treasury Department said the Egyptian and Jordanian branches of the Brotherhood had coordinated with Hamas, whose large-scale October 7, 2023, attack on Israel sparked a devastating Israeli military offensive in Gaza.
The decision was announced weeks after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in November 2025 for blacklisting the terror-linked organizations.
Foreign Ministry of Egypt welcomed the action by the United States, the called it a “crucial step that reflects the gravity of the group and its extremist ideology and what it represents as a direct threat to regional and international security and stability.”
Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have persistently striving to ban the Muslim Brotherhood, whose ideological vision calls for the establishment of a unified Islamic caliphate.