WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order to launch the process of designating multiple Muslim Brotherhood branches, including those in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.

"President Trump is confronting the Muslim Brotherhood's transnational network, which fuels terrorism and destabilization campaigns against US interests and allies in the Middle East," the White House said in a fact sheet issued on Monday.

According to the order, the military wing of the Lebanese chapter joined Hamas, Hezbollah and Palestinian factions to launch multiple rocket attacks on Israel following the assault on Oct 7, 2023, while a senior Egyptian Brotherhood leader called for attacks on US partners on that day. It also accused Jordanian Brotherhood leaders of having long provided material support to Hamas.

"It is the policy of the United States to cooperate with its regional partners to eliminate the capabilities and operations of Muslim Brotherhood chapters designated as foreign terrorist organizations," the order states.

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Under the order, State and Treasury secretaries must submit a joint report to Trump within 30 days recommending which chapters of the organization should be designated. Final actions on designations are required within 45 days after the report is delivered.

The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, has evolved into a transnational network with chapters across the Middle East and beyond. It was previously banned in Egypt and Jordan.