The United States has formally designated branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon as terrorist organisations, tightening sanctions against the Islamist movement across the Middle East.
In a statement on Tuesday, US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio said the decision followed a directive from President Donald Trump to dismantle what Washington describes as the operational and financial networks of Muslim Brotherhood factions that pose a threat to US interests and global security.
The US State Department said the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood has been designated both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity. Its leader, Muhammad Fawzi Taqqosh, has also been placed under SDGT sanctions.
At the same time, the US Treasury Department announced that the Egyptian and Jordanian branches of the group had been classified as SDGTs, accusing them of providing material support to Hamas, which the United States has long designated as a terrorist organisation.
Mr Rubio said the measures mark the first phase of what he described as a “sustained and comprehensive effort” to limit the influence of Muslim Brotherhood networks linked to violence and regional instability.
“The United States will use all available tools to cut off these organisations from the resources they rely on to support terrorism,” he said.
The sanctions are expected to involve coordinated action across US government agencies, including asset freezes, travel restrictions and financial penalties against individuals and entities connected to the designated groups.
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, operates across several countries and has long been a subject of controversy, with supporters describing it as a political and social movement, while critics and some governments accuse it of extremist ties.
