AFP, Washington

The United States on Tuesday designated the Muslim Brotherhood branches in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan as terrorist organizations, fulfilling a long demand of Arab allies and US conservatives.

Founded in 1928 in Egypt, the pan-Islamist movement once spread across the Muslim world, but it has been in retreat as it comes under concerted pressure from major Arab powers.

“These designations reflect the opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort to thwart Muslim Brotherhood chapters’ violence and destabilization wherever it occurs,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Muslim Brotherhood “has a longstanding record of perpetuating acts of terror, and we are working aggressively to cut them off from the financial system.”

The designations mean that the United States will block any assets owned by the Muslim Brotherhood in the world’s largest economy, criminalize transactions with its members and severely impede their ability to travel to the country. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in a statement posted to social media vowed to seek legal channels to challenge the decision, saying it opposed violence and has never threatened the US.

“This designation is both detached from reality and unsupported by evidence. It is a result of foreign pressure on the United States, particularly from the UAE and Israel, to adopt policies that serve external agendas rather than the interests of the American people,” it said.