Article:
The United States has designated Muslim Brotherhood entities in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan as terrorist organizations. This decision follows a recent executive order issued by US President Donald Trump. According to a report by Al Jazeera, the US Treasury Department has designated the Muslim Brotherhood entities in Egypt and Jordan as “Special Designated Global Terrorists,” while the US State Department has added the Lebanese organization “Al Jama’ah Al Islamiyah” to the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO). The US authorities have accused these organizations of supporting the Palestinian organization Hamas and engaging in activities against Israeli interests.
The US Treasury Department has stated that the Muslim Brotherhood entities appear to be humanitarian and political organizations, but they secretly support terrorist groups. The Acting Chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Salah Abdul Haq, has rejected the US decision, saying that the organization will challenge it through all legal means. He claimed that the move is a result of Israeli pressure and that there is no concrete evidence to support it. The US sanctions will prohibit the provision of financial assistance to these organizations, freeze their assets, and impose a ban on their members entering the US.
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928, and its branches are present in various countries in the Middle East. In Lebanon, Al Jama’ah Al Islamiyah has a parliamentary presence, while in Jordan, its political party, the Islamic Action Front, won 31 seats in the 2024 elections. In Egypt, a ban on the Muslim Brotherhood has been in place since 2013, and the government has taken harsh actions against the organization. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry has welcomed the US decision, describing it as an important step for regional and global security.
The Lebanese organization Al Jama’ah Al Islamiyah has rejected the US decision, calling it a political move that has no legal impact in Lebanon and is designed to protect Israeli interests. In the US, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has been designated as a terrorist organization by the states of Texas and Florida. Germany, Sweden, France, and Norway have confirmed that they will send their troops to Greenland for joint exercises with Denmark.
US officials have announced that the sale of additional Venezuelan oil is expected in the coming days and weeks. Russia is rapidly transforming its occupied areas in the Donbass region of Ukraine into a large military base. The Henley Index has released a list of the world’s most powerful passports for the first six months of this year.
US President Donald Trump prefers a short but decisive operation over a prolonged war. According to a report by German Air, all night flights to Israel will be suspended until January 19. The Foreign Ministers of Denmark and Greenland have met with US officials in Washington for negotiations but failed to change President Trump’s stance on Greenland’s future. The British government has warned that the situation in Iran is rapidly deteriorating, posing risks to diplomatic staff and citizens, advising against travel to Iran.
In another development, Iranian airspace has been closed to all types of flights, except for international flights with permission. Videos have shown rioters attacking mosques and other locations. An American newspaper has claimed that Iran and Israel have agreed not to launch attacks on each other. Iranian Justice Minister Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh has said that the unrest in Iran was not a protest but a full-blown civil war. India has accused Pakistan of fomenting terrorism, a charge Pakistan’s Foreign Office has dismissed as a “cooked-up story” aimed at scoring political points. Pakistan hopes that Iran will soon return to stability and calm, according to its Foreign Office spokesperson.
