US Designates Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organization, Accuses Iran's IRGC of Backing

The U.S. State Department announced it had designated the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood (SMB) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity and said it will add the group to the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list effective March 16, invoking economic and criminal restrictions that block property and bar U.S. persons from providing support.

“The United States has designated the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as a “terrorist” group, as the administration of President Donald Trump widens its crackdown on the organisation”

Al Jazeera

Multiple outlets report the designation covers the Sudanese Islamic Movement and its armed wing, named in reports as the al‑Baraa Bin Malik Brigade (also referred to as the al‑Baraa Brigade).

Al Jazeera

The action is part of a broader Trump administration crackdown on Brotherhood affiliates.

The move follows an earlier Treasury designation of the al‑Baraa Brigade under Executive Order 14098 in September 2025.

U.S. officials and the State Department accused the SMB and its armed wing of "unrestrained violence against civilians," citing allegations of mass executions and summary killings, and said many fighters have been trained and supported by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

U.S. sources estimated the group has supplied roughly 20,000 fighters to Sudan’s civil war, allegations that officials say underpin the decision to sever financial and material links.

Jewish Insider

The designation language emphasises both the human-rights charges and the claimed Iran connection as central justifications.

Political reactions to the designation were mixed, with some U.S. lawmakers and regional actors welcoming the step and others warning it was driven by external lobbying and could have unintended consequences.

The United Arab Emirates publicly welcomed the U.S. move, and Republican Sen. Jim Risch urged that the genocidal Rapid Support Forces (RSF) also be considered for designation.

Critics told outlets the lobbying push had ties to Israeli and Emirati interests, and commentators described the development as part of a wider White House crackdown on Brotherhood affiliates.

Analysts and relief organisations warned that the designation’s breadth and the SMB’s loose organisational nature could hinder mediation efforts and complicate humanitarian aid.

Commentators said Sudan’s Muslim Brotherhood is a loose coalition rather than a formal hierarchical group, and that vagueness in the listing could embolden hardliners to reject talks.

The Globe and Mail

Relief agencies also expressed fears that Western sanctions and counterterrorism rules will create regulatory uncertainty that jeopardises humanitarian transfers and aid to Sudan amid ongoing fighting between the military and the RSF.