US Designates Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organization

The U.S. State Department said on March 9 it will designate the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization, citing the group’s alleged ties to Iran’s armed forces and violence against civilians.

The designation is set to take effect on March 16. The United States has already labeled the group as a specially designated global terrorist, according to the department’s statement.

State Secretary Marco Rubio accused the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood of carrying out mass executions of civilians and obstructing efforts to resolve Sudan’s civil war, which began in 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The group allegedly deployed about 20,000 fighters to the war in Sudan, many of whom received training and support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to a State Department fact sheet.

“As the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, the Iranian regime has financed and directed malign activities globally through its IRGC,” Rubio said in a statement.

“The United States will use all available tools to deprive the Iranian regime and Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism.”

The designation will freeze all assets owned by the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood in the United States and prohibit U.S. citizens from conducting business with the group.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) welcomed the move, saying it reflects the Trump administration’s “sustained and systematic efforts” to counter the group’s destabilizing actions in Sudan. The UAE has also listed the group as a terrorist organization.

The UAE foreign ministry said in a statement that the designation represents “a pivotal measure within the U.S. broader efforts to deprive the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood of the resources that enable it to engage in, support, or justify acts of extremism, hatred, and terrorism.”

The move follows a November 2025 executive order by President Donald Trump aimed at designating certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood that pose security threats to the United States and its allies.

Following Trump’s order, the State Department designated Lebanese, Jordanian, and Egyptian chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations in January.

The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in the 1920s and was one of the most influential Islamist organizations worldwide, blending religious teaching with political activism and social welfare programs, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

Trump considered the idea of a terrorist designation during his first term, supported by U.S. House Republicans on the National Security Committee.

Florida and Texas designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization last year. Other countries, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain, have also designated the group as a terrorist organization.

Jill McLaughlin contributed to this report.