FILE - A man photographs the main entrance of the original Muslim Brotherhood office, that is sealed with official wax after it was raided and shut down by police, in Amman, Jordan, Wednesday, April 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh, file)
The United States on Jan. 12 designated the Muslim Brotherhood branches in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan as terrorist organizations, fulfilling a long demand of Arab allies and U.S. 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 in a statement.
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.
"This designation... 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.
