US sanctions three Muslim Brotherhood branches across Middle East
Shafaq News– Washington
The United States on Tuesday designated three Middle Eastern branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations.
In a statement, the US State Department announced the listing of the Lebanese branch, known as Islamic Group (Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya), as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, a designation that makes it a criminal offense to provide material support. The Treasury Department separately sanctioned the Brotherhood’s Jordanian and Egyptian branches, citing alleged support for Hamas.
“These designations mark the opening steps of a sustained effort to disrupt Muslim Brotherhood chapters engaged in violence and destabilization,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained, adding that Washington would use “all available tools” to cut off funding and resources.
The move follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in November 2025 directing US agencies to review targeted sanctions against specific Brotherhood branches. The order cited allegations that a wing of the Lebanese group fired rockets into Israel during the Gaza war, while Brotherhood figures in Jordan provided political and logistical backing to Hamas.
Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood was banned there in 2013 after the overthrow of President Mohammed Mursi. Jordan imposed a sweeping ban on the group in April. Successive US administrations have debated, but avoided, designating the Brotherhood as a single global organization, opting instead for action against individual branches.
Read more: Explainer: Who is targeting the Muslim Brotherhood?
