The United States designates the Muslim Brotherhood branches in Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan as terrorist organizations
The administration of US President Donald Trump has decided to designate the branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon as terrorist organizations and imposed sanctions on these groups and their members.
The US Departments of Treasury and State announced on Tuesday measures against the Muslim Brotherhood branches in these three countries, stating that they pose “a threat to the United States and its interests,” according to the Associated Press.
The US State Department classified the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization,” the most severe designation, making any material support to this branch a criminal offense.
Meanwhile, the Treasury Department listed the Jordanian and Egyptian branches as “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” organizations due to their support for Hamas.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement: “These actions reflect the first steps of continuous and sustained efforts to counter the violence and instability perpetrated by Muslim Brotherhood branches wherever they operate. The United States will use all available tools to deprive these branches of the resources needed to engage in or support terrorism.”
Last November, President Trump tasked Rubio and US Treasury Secretary Scott Peirce, under an executive order, with studying the designation of the three branches as terrorist organizations.
The executive order specifically targeted the Muslim Brotherhood branches in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan, identifying them as involved in, facilitating, or supporting violence and instability, harming their regions, US citizens, and American interests.
The order required the Secretaries of State and Treasury to submit a report within 30 days on the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist organizations, with the designation implemented within 45 days of the report, which was completed on Tuesday.
Previously, the states of Florida and Texas had banned the Muslim Brotherhood, a move experts interpreted as reflecting “the shift in American policy from surveillance and containment to eradication.”
