Trump Administration Expands Terror Blacklist With New Muslim Brotherhood Designation

The Trump administration on Monday designated another branch of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, continuing its campaign to target extremist networks tied to the Islamist movement.

The latest designation targets the Muslim Brotherhood’s Sudanese chapter, which U.S. officials say has played a violent role in Sudan’s ongoing civil war and received training from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

According to the State Department, the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood is composed of the Sudanese Islamic Movement and its armed wing known as the al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade.

Officials said the group has used violence against civilians in order to advance its extremist ideology and destabilize efforts to end the conflict in Sudan.

“The Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood uses unrestrained violence against civilians to undermine efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan and advance its violent Islamist ideology,” the State Department said.

The group has reportedly contributed more than 20,000 fighters to Sudan’s civil war, a conflict that has displaced roughly 12 million people and may have resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths.

U.S. officials also said fighters connected to the organization received training and support from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Members of the al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade have been accused of carrying out mass executions of civilians in areas captured during the conflict, including killings based on race, ethnicity, or suspected ties to rival groups.

The designation classifies the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization.

That classification allows the U.S. Treasury Department to freeze assets linked to the group and block financial transactions connected to it.

Administration officials also indicated they intend to pursue an even stronger designation by formally classifying the organization as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which would criminalize providing material support under U.S. law.

The move follows earlier action by the Trump administration in January, when three other Muslim Brotherhood affiliated groups were designated as terrorist organizations, including branches operating in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt.

The Treasury Department had already designated the al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade in September 2025 under Executive Order 14098 for its role in Sudan’s civil war.

Under the new designation, any property or financial interests connected to the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood that fall under U.S. jurisdiction will be blocked.

American citizens and businesses are also prohibited from conducting financial transactions with the organization.

The State Department warned that foreign individuals or companies that engage in certain dealings with the group could face secondary sanctions under U.S. counterterrorism authorities.

Officials said the designation is scheduled to take effect on March 16.

The decision comes as the administration continues its broader effort to confront Iranian backed networks and extremist organizations operating across the Middle East and Africa.

Separately, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued state level orders in late 2025 labeling the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist organizations.

CAIR, which describes itself as the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, responded by filing lawsuits against both states and denying any connection to terrorism.

The Muslim Brotherhood itself was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Islamist leader Hassan al-Banna. Over the decades the movement has become one of the most influential political and religious organizations in the Middle East and North Africa and has spawned several extremist offshoot groups, including Hamas.