The United States designated the Lebanese, Egyptian, and Jordanian chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations on Tuesday, citing threats to U.S. national security and links to groups like Hamas, the State Department said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the move in a post, stating: “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 and our national security.”
In a press statement, Rubio described the actions as the “opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort to thwart Muslim Brotherhood chapters’ violence and destabilization wherever it occurs,” referencing Executive Order 14362.
The Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood, also known as al-Jamaa al-Islamiyah, was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), with its leader Muhammad Fawzi Taqqosh named an SDGT. The Egyptian and Jordanian chapters were designated as SDGTs for providing material support to Hamas.
A State Department fact sheet provided background on the Lebanese group, noting that following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, it reactivated its al-Fajr Forces and launched rockets from Lebanon in coordination with Hezbollah and Hamas. In March 2024, Israeli forces targeted al-Fajr operatives preparing attacks, and in July 2025, the Lebanese Army dismantled a training camp involving the group and Hamas militants.
The fact sheet also highlighted historical violent offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood, including the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ), responsible for assassinating Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981 and later merging with al-Qaida; Gama’a al-Islamiyya (IG), linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing; Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), involved in the October 7 attacks; Hamas, which described itself as a wing of the Muslim Brotherhood in its 1988 charter; Harakat Sawa’d Misr (HASM), behind a 2019 Cairo bombing; and Liwa al-Thawra, responsible for assassinations and bombings in Egypt.
These entities have been previously designated as FTOs or SDGTs between 1997 and 2021.
The designations block all property and interests in property of the groups in the U.S. or under U.S. control, prohibit U.S. persons from conducting business with them, and expose those engaging in transactions to sanctions risks, including secondary sanctions under counterterrorism authorities.
