EO-14362
Designation of Certain Muslim Brotherhood Chapters as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists
- Signed
- Nov 24, 2025
- Published
- Nov 28, 2025
Federal Register: 2025-21664
Source: Federal Register.
Directs review of Muslim Brotherhood chapters for terrorist designation
Impact4/10
What it does
This order directs the Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury to review specific chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood — particularly those in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt — for potential designation as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). The review must be completed within 30 days, after which the relevant secretaries have 45 days to take formal designation action. Designation would trigger asset freezes, travel bans, and criminal penalties for providing material support to the named chapters.
Who benefits
U.S. nationals and military personnel operating in the Middle East who could face reduced threat exposure. Regional partners of the United States (e.g., Israel, Gulf states) whose security interests align with limiting Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated militant activity. Financial institutions seeking clearer compliance guidance on transactions involving these organizations. Victims of violence attributed to the named chapters and their families.
Who is affected
Members and affiliates of the named Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt, who would face asset freezes and travel restrictions. U.S.-based Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated civic, charitable, or political organizations that could face heightened scrutiny or secondary designation risk. American Muslim communities with cultural or charitable ties to these organizations, who may face increased surveillance or financial account closures by cautious banks. Journalists, academics, and humanitarian aid workers operating in the region who interact with these groups. Financial institutions and nonprofits that would need to conduct enhanced due-diligence reviews of any transactions connected to the designated entities.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that the Lebanese, Jordanian, and Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood chapters have demonstrably engaged in or materially supported violence — including rocket attacks following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and long-standing financial support for Hamas's militant wing — making designation a legally appropriate and necessary national security tool. They contend that the INA and IEEPA provide the president with clear statutory authority to designate foreign organizations that threaten U.S. nationals and interests, and that cutting off financial and logistical support networks is among the most effective non-military means of disrupting terrorist operations.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that the Muslim Brotherhood is a politically and organizationally diverse transnational movement, and that designating entire national chapters risks sweeping in legitimate political parties, civic organizations, and elected officials — particularly in Jordan and Egypt — who operate within their countries' legal frameworks. They contend that broad designations could destabilize U.S. diplomatic relationships with those governments, chill constitutionally protected speech and association among American Muslim communities, and that the order's reliance on IEEPA and INA §219 may face legal challenges if courts find the factual record insufficient to meet the statutory threshold of "terrorist activity."
Constitutional basis
Executive orders rest on constitutional authority or statutory delegation. This summary describes the legal grounding cited or implied by the order.
The order cites two statutory authorities: Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. §1189), which grants the Secretary of State authority to designate foreign organizations as FTOs upon a finding of terrorist activity or terrorism that threatens U.S. nationals or national security; and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. §1701 et seq.), which delegates to the president broad authority to regulate international financial transactions during a declared national emergency. The order also invokes Executive Order 13224 (2001), which established the SDGT framework under IEEPA following the September 11 attacks.