US move on Muslim Brotherhood: Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan branches designated terrorists - Why it matters

President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday designated three Middle Eastern branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organisations, imposing sanctions on the groups and their members in a move that could have implications for US ties with allies such as Qatar and Turkiye.The Treasury and State departments announced the actions against the Lebanese, Jordanian and Egyptian chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood, saying the groups pose a risk to the United States and American interests. The State Department designated the Lebanese branch as a foreign terrorist organisation, the most severe classification, making it a criminal offence to provide material support to the group. The Jordanian and Egyptian branches were listed by the Treasury Department as specially designated global terrorists for providing support to Hamas.“These designations reflect the opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort to thwart Muslim Brotherhood chapters' violence and destabilisation wherever it occurs,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.“The United States will use all available tools to deprive these Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism.”Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were directed last year under an executive order signed by Trump to determine the most appropriate way to impose sanctions on the groups, which US officials say engage in or support violence and destabilisation campaigns that harm the United States and other regions.Muslim Brotherhood leaders have said they renounce violence.Trump’s executive order singled out the chapters in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, citing US assessments that a wing of the Lebanese branch launched rockets on Israel after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war in Gaza. The order also said leaders of the group in Jordan had provided support to Hamas.Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood was banned in Egypt in 2013. Jordan announced a sweeping ban on the group in April.Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood is an Islamist movement that began as a religious and social organisation before evolving into a major political force across parts of the Middle East. It advocates governance based on Islamic principles and has operated through a mix of political participation, social outreach and activism in different countries.The group functions through country-specific branches that operate independently while sharing a common ideological foundation. While the Muslim Brotherhood says it has renounced violence, several governments, including Egypt, have accused it of supporting or engaging in militant activity.Following the military overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi, a Brotherhood leader, Egypt banned the organisation in 2013. Since then, the group has faced varying degrees of restriction or prohibition across the region.Analysts say the US designation could reshape regional diplomatic equations and complicate Washington’s relations with countries where the Muslim Brotherhood remains politically active or tolerated.Nathan Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, said some US allies, including the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, would likely welcome the move.“For other governments where the brotherhood is tolerated, it would be a thorn in bilateral relations,” including in Qatar and Turkiye, he said.Brown also warned that the designation could have wider legal and humanitarian consequences beyond foreign policy.“I think this would give immigration officials a stronger basis for suspicion, and it might make courts less likely to question any kind of official action against Brotherhood members who are seeking to stay in this country, seeking political asylum,” he said.The move also revives a debate Trump had opened during his first term. The Republican president had weighed designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation in 2019, and some of his supporters have since pushed for tougher action.At the domestic level, the shift aligns with actions taken by Republican-led state governments. Florida and Texas designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation earlier this year, signalling growing political momentum in the US against the group.