ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order directing federal agencies to begin the formal process of designating specific chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organisations, a move that could reshape Washington’s counterterrorism posture across the Middle East.
The order, signed at the White House on November 24, singles out chapters in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, stating that the directive “sets in motion a process” to consider them for designation as both foreign terrorist organisations (FTOs) and specially designated global terrorists (SDGTs) under American law.
The White House described the Brotherhood as having evolved into a “transnational network” since its founding in Egypt in 1928, accusing certain chapters of supporting or engaging in violence that destabilises the region and threatens US interests.
The document highlights the Lebanese chapter’s military wing, alleging its involvement in rocket attacks on Israel during the October 7, 2023 events, alongside Hamas, Hezbollah and other Palestinian factions.
It also references what it calls a senior Egyptian Brotherhood leader’s call for attacks on US partners, and claims the Jordanian chapter has long provided material support to Hamas’s militant wing.
The executive order asserts that Washington’s policy is to work with regional partners to “eliminate the capabilities and operations” of chapters that may be designated, and to deprive them of financial and logistical resources.
The directive lays out a clear timeline. Within 30 days, the secretaries of State and Treasury must produce a joint report assessing which chapters meet the threshold for designation. Once that report is submitted, the relevant department must take “all appropriate action” within 45 days to complete the designations under the Immigration and Nationality Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The Muslim Brotherhood is already banned in several regional states, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, while Jordan proscribed it in April this year.
Within the US, the issue has long been debated across administrations, with previous governments arguing that the organisation’s diverse national branches—ranging from political parties to groups accused of militancy—complicate any blanket designation.
Trump’s order represents the most detailed administrative mechanism yet devised in Washington to assess chapters individually rather than treating the Brotherhood as a single entity. The move follows a similar step last week by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who designated the organisation as a terrorist group at the state level.
