Federal prosecutors investigating former President Donald J. Trump’s handling of classified documents have taken a step further by issuing a subpoena to the Trump Organization. The subpoena seeks records related to Mr. Trump’s business dealings in seven countries. The purpose of the subpoena remains unclear, but it indicates that investigators are widening their scope to determine if any laws were broken when Mr. Trump took sensitive government materials with him upon leaving the White House and failed to fully comply with requests for their return.

The subpoena, prepared by the special counsel’s office led by Jack Smith, specifically targets the Trump Organization’s real estate licensing and development activities in China, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. The records sought pertain to deals made since Mr. Trump assumed the presidency in 2017.

During Mr. Trump’s time in office, the Trump Organization refrained from engaging in foreign deals, with the exception of a licensing agreement in Oman with a Saudi-based real estate company for a housing, hotel, and golf complex. This deal was struck just before Mr. Trump announced his third presidential campaign.

The investigation led by Mr. Smith’s prosecutors aims to shed light on Mr. Trump’s foreign business endeavors, as evidenced by the subpoena related to his involvement with a Saudi-backed golf venture called LIV Golf. The subpoena’s request for records pertaining to the golf venture and other foreign ventures since 2017 suggests that Mr. Smith is exploring potential connections between Mr. Trump’s international dealings and the classified documents he retained upon leaving office.

It remains unknown what information the Trump Organization has provided in response to the subpoena or if Mr. Smith has obtained any additional evidence supporting the theory under investigation. Throughout the course of the inquiry, prosecutors have sought to understand both the nature of the materials Mr. Trump removed from the White House and his motivations for doing so.

Sources indicate that among the government documents found in Mr. Trump’s possession were some related to Middle Eastern countries. Moreover, during an FBI search at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club and residence in Florida, materials concerning President Emmanuel Macron of France were discovered, according to court records.

Neither Mr. Trump nor the Trump Organization has officially commented on the subpoena. However, the Trump Organization issued a statement emphasizing its compliance with a pledge to abstain from new foreign deals while Mr. Trump held the presidency.