In a sweeping action against international terrorism, the Trump administration has designated multiple branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations, citing their material support for Hamas and other extremist groups.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Wednesday announced the designation of the Egyptian and Jordanian branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, while the State Department simultaneously labeled the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
“Chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood purport to be legitimate civic organizations while, behind the scenes, they explicitly and enthusiastically support terrorist groups like Hamas,” Treasury officials said in their announcement, highlighting what they described as the organization’s dual nature.
Years of Support for Terrorism
The designations follow an executive order signed by President Trump last month on November 24, which directed both departments to take action against specific Muslim Brotherhood chapters.
Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley didn’t mince words about the Brotherhood’s activities. “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,” Hurley stated. “Despite their peaceful public façade, both the Egyptian and Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood branches have conspired to support Hamas’s terrorism and undermine the sovereignty of their own national governments.”
Evidence cited by the Treasury Department paints a troubling picture of ongoing coordination between Hamas and Brotherhood chapters. As recently as mid-2025, leaders in Hamas’s military wing reportedly coordinated with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood to destabilize the Egyptian government while accepting Hamas funding.
How deep does the relationship go? According to Treasury officials, in 2024, individuals seeking to fight for Hamas needed connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, which facilitated their entry into Gaza and tracked their status for Hamas leadership.
Broader Regional Impact
The designations mark what officials describe as just the beginning of a broader campaign. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that “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 isn’t the first country to take such action. Several Middle Eastern nations, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, have previously designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization or banned it outright as a driver of extremism.
In Jordan, elements connected to the Brotherhood have been implicated in terrorism cases since early 2025, including manufacturing rockets, explosives, and drones, as well as conducting recruitment operations, according to Treasury documents.
The Lebanese branch received the more severe Foreign Terrorist Organization designation, making it a criminal offense to provide material support to the group. The Treasury Department also specifically designated Muhammad Fawzi Taqqosh, the Secretary General of the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
Financial Consequences
The practical effect of these designations is immediate and severe for the organizations involved. All property and interests in property of the designated persons within the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are now blocked.
“Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked persons,” the Treasury Department explained.
The actions also extend to entities owned 50 percent or more by blocked persons, significantly widening the net of financial restrictions.
For decades, the Muslim Brotherhood has maintained a complex position in Middle Eastern politics – sometimes operating as a political party, other times as a social service provider, while simultaneously maintaining connections to militant groups. This latest action by the U.S. government represents one of the most significant attempts to disrupt those connections and the financial networks that support them.
As Secretary Rubio put it, “The United States will use all available tools to deprive these Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism” – a clear signal that more actions may follow.
