United States, Jan 14, 2026 (AFP) – The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood on Tuesday denounced its designation by Washington as a terrorist group, saying it rejects violence and poses no threat to the United States.

“This designation is both detached from reality and unsupported by evidence,” it said in an online statement.

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-extremist 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.

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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 United States.

The movement briefly rose to power democratically in its native Egypt through the 2012 election of Mohamed Morsi following the overthrow of longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak, under whom the Muslim Brotherhood was banned, although some of its activities had been tolerated, including its network of social services.

Egypt’s foreign ministry hailed the US decision, which was set in motion by Trump in November, as reflecting “the danger of this group and its extremist ideology and the direct threat it poses to regional and international security and stability.”