By chatnewstv.com
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Tuesday that the United States has designated the Lebanese, Jordanian, and Egyptian chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist entities, marking the first major move under a new executive order aimed at dismantling the group’s regional operations.
The move follows President Donald Trump’s commitment to eliminate the capabilities of Muslim Brotherhood factions that the administration deems a threat to U.S. national security.
Under the new actions, the Department of State designated the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). The group’s leader, Muhammad Fawzi Taqqosh, was also designated as an SDGT.
Simultaneously, the Department of the Treasury designated the Egyptian and Jordanian chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as SDGTs, specifically citing their role in providing “material support” to Hamas.
“Today, as a first step in support of President Trump’s commitment to eliminate the capabilities and operations of Muslim Brotherhood chapters that pose a threat to the United States… the United States is imposing terrorist designations against the Lebanese, Jordanian, and Egyptian chapters,” Rubio said in a statement.
The designations effectively freeze any assets the groups or their leaders hold in the U.S. and prohibit Americans from engaging in any transactions with them. Rubio characterized the move as the beginning of a “sustained effort” to target the organization across the Middle East.
“These designations reflect the opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort to thwart Muslim Brotherhood chapters’ violence and destabilization wherever it occurs,” Rubio added. “The United States will use all available tools to deprive these Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism.”
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization. While some branches have participated in democratic processes in the past, the current administration has signaled a shift toward treating its various regional chapters as interconnected threats to stability.
National security analysts suggest the move could have significant diplomatic ramifications in Amman and Cairo, where the organization has deep, though often suppressed, historical roots.
The administration indicated that further actions under Executive Order 14362 are expected as the State and Treasury departments continue to review the activities of other international affiliates.
