US Designates Chapters of Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organizations

Lebanese, Jordanian, and Egyptian chapters of Muslim Brotherhood were designated by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organizations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press conference as President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth listen at Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., on Jan. 3, 2026. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The Trump administration has followed through on its stated goal of designating three branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations, sanctioning the groups and their members in accordance with President Donald Trump’s plan to strengthen national security.

The Lebanese, Jordanian, and Egyptian chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood were designated by the U.S. State Department as foreign terrorist organizations on Jan. 13.

The designations are a first step in support of Trump’s November order that aims to eliminate chapters of the organization that pose security threats to the United States and its allies.

The group’s leader, Muhammad Fawzi Taqqosh, has also been named as a specially designated global terrorist.

The Department of the Treasury also named the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood as specially designated global terrorists for providing material support to the Hamas terrorist group.

“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 on Jan. 13. “The United States will use all available tools to deprive these Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism.”

The State Department designated the Lebanese branch a foreign terrorist organization, the most extreme label, which makes providing support to the group a criminal offense.

The Jordanian and Egyptian branches were listed by the Treasury as specially designated global terrorists for providing support to Hamas.

“The Muslim Brotherhood has inspired, nurtured, and funded terrorist groups like Hamas, that are direct threats to the safety and security of the American people and our allies,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist and Financial Intelligence John Hurley in a statement.

Following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel, the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood, also known as al-Jamaa al-Islamiyah, reactivated its al-Fajr Forces and launched rockets in coordination with Hamas and the Hezbollah terrorist group from Lebanon into northern Israel.

In March 2024, the Israel Defense Forces launched an attack against the Lebanese operatives who were preparing terrorist attacks against Israel, according to the State Department.

The Lebanese Army dismantled a covert military training camp in July 2025 that was used by the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas fighters. Under Taqqosh’s leadership, the brotherhood has pushed for a more formal partnership with Hezbollah and Hamas.

Jordanian demonstrators waving green Muslim Brotherhood flags and other banners shout anti-Israel slogans during a mass rally held outside the parliament building in Amman, Jordan, in this file photo. Khalil Mazraawi/AFP via Getty Images

Hamas, formed in 1988, is a self-described wing of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Palestinian territories and a designated specially designated global terrorist organization since 2001, according to the State Department.

The Muslim Brotherhood was formed in Egypt in the 1920s and was one of the most influential Islamist organizations in the world, mixing religious teaching with political activism and social welfare programs, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

Trump considered the idea of a terrorist designation during his first term, supported by U.S. House Republicans on the National Security Committee. Florida and Texas designated the group as a terrorist organization this year.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain have also designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.