The United States has officially designated Muslim Brotherhood organisations in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan as terrorist entities, marking a significant escalation in Washington’s campaign against groups it views as hostile to Israel and US regional interests.

The decision was announced on Tuesday, weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing his administration to initiate the process of blacklisting the organisations.

Different Designations for Different Countries

According to US officials, the Treasury Department designated the Muslim Brotherhood groups in Egypt and Jordan as “specially designated global terrorists”, while the State Department applied the more severe Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) label to the Lebanese branch.

US authorities said the designations were based on what they described as the groups’ alleged support for Hamas fighters and activities deemed harmful to Israeli interests in the Middle East.

US Justification

In a formal statement, the Treasury Department accused Muslim Brotherhood chapters of presenting themselves as legitimate civic organisations while covertly backing armed groups.

“Chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood purport to be legitimate civic organisations while, behind the scenes, they explicitly and enthusiastically support terrorist groups like Hamas,” the statement said.

Muslim Brotherhood Rejects Allegations

The move was swiftly rejected by Salah Abdel Haq, acting general guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, who said the organisation categorically denies the accusations and plans to challenge the designation through legal channels.

“The group categorically rejects this designation and will pursue all legal avenues to challenge this decision which harms millions of Muslims worldwide,” Abdel Haq said.

He further denied any involvement in terrorism, insisting that the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood has neither directed nor financed violent activity.

Claims of External Pressure

Abdel Haq also suggested that the US decision was influenced by foreign pressure rather than evidence-based assessments, pointing specifically to Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

“This designation is unsupported by credible evidence and reflects external foreign pressure by the UAE and Israel rather than an objective assessment of US interests or facts on the ground,” he said.

The US designations make it a criminal offense to provide financial or material support to the listed organisations and authorize sweeping economic sanctions aimed at cutting off their funding sources. The FTO classification further tightens restrictions by barring members of the designated groups from entering the United States.