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President Donald Trump's medication has made bully connected its pledge to statement 3 Middle Eastern branches of the Muslim Brotherhood arsenic violent organisations, imposing sanctions connected them and their members successful a determination that could person implications for U.S. relationships with allies Qatar and Turkiye.
The Treasury and State departments announced the actions Tuesday (January 13, 2026) against the Lebanese, Jordanian and Egyptian chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood, which they said airs a hazard to the United States and American interests.
The State Department designated the Lebanese subdivision a overseas violent organisation, the astir terrible of the labels, which makes it a transgression discourtesy to supply worldly enactment to the group.
The Jordanian and Egyptian branches were listed by Treasury arsenic specially designated planetary terrorists for providing enactment to Hamas.
“These designations bespeak the opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort to thwart Muslim Brotherhood chapters' unit and destabilisation wherever it occurs,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said successful a statement.
“The United States volition usage each disposable tools to deprive these Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to prosecute successful oregon enactment terrorism.”
Mr. Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were mandated past twelvemonth nether an enforcement bid signed by Mr. Trump to find the astir due mode to enforce sanctions connected the groups, which U.S. officials accidental prosecute successful oregon enactment unit and destabilization campaigns that harm the United States and different regions.
Muslim Brotherhood leaders person said they renounce violence.
Mr. Trump's enforcement bid had singled retired the chapters successful Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, noting that a helping of the Lebanese section had launched rockets connected Israel aft Hamas' October 7, 2023, onslaught successful Israel that acceptable disconnected the warfare successful Gaza. Leaders of the radical successful Jordan person provided enactment to Hamas, the bid said.
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded successful Egypt successful 1928 but was banned successful that state successful 2013. Jordan announced a sweeping prohibition connected the Muslim Brotherhood successful April.
Nathan Brown, a prof of governmental subject and planetary affairs astatine George Washington University, said immoderate allies of the U.S., including the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, would apt beryllium pleased with the designation.
“For different governments wherever the brotherhood is tolerated, it would beryllium a thorn successful bilateral relations,” including successful Qatar and Turkiye, helium said.
Mr. Brown besides said a designation connected the chapters whitethorn person effects connected visa and asylum claims for radical entering not conscionable the US but besides Western European countries and Canada.
“I deliberation this would springiness migration officials a stronger ground for suspicion, and it mightiness marque courts little apt to question immoderate benignant of authoritative enactment against Brotherhood members who are seeking to enactment successful this country, seeking governmental asylum,” helium said.
Mr. Trump, a Republican, weighed whether to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a violent organisation successful 2019 during his archetypal word successful office. Some salient Trump supporters, including right-wing influencer Laura Loomer, person pushed his medication to instrumentality assertive enactment against the group.
Two Republican-led State governments — Florida and Texas — designated the radical arsenic a violent organisation this year.
