US President Donald Trump’s counterterrorism chief Joe Kent on Tuesday resigned over the ongoing US-Iran conflict, stating that Tehran posed “no imminent threat to our nation.” He claimed that the war was initiated due to pressure from Israel and its lobby in the United States. Kent, who served as director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), announced his decision in a post on X, saying, “after much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position effective today.”
“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” he added.In a strongly worded message directed at Trump, Kent said he continued to support the President’s earlier foreign policy approach.“I support the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on in 2016, 2020, 2024, which you enacted in your first term. Until June of 2025, you understood that the wars in the Middle East were a trap that robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.” “In your first administration, you understood better than any modern President how to decisively apply military power without getting us drawn into never-ending wars. You demonstrated this by killing Qasam Solamani and by defeating ISIS,” he added.Kent alleged that the current conflict was driven in part by external pressure and a coordinated misinformation campaign.He claimed that early in the administration, senior Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran. “This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, and that should you strike now, there was a clear path to a swift victory. This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war that cost our nation the lives of thousands of our best men and women. We cannot make this mistake again,” he said.Kent further said, “As a veteran who deployed to combat 11 times and as a Gold Star husband who lost my beloved wife Shannon in a war manufactured by Israel, I cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people nor justifies the cost of American lives.” He concluded with an appeal to the President, saying, “I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for. The time for bold action is now.”“You can reverse course and chart a new path for our nation, or you can allow us to slip further toward decline and chaos. You hold the cards. It was an honor to serve in your administration and to serve our great nation.”Kent, a former political candidate with links to right-wing extremist circles, was confirmed to his position in July 2025, AP reported.Before joining Trump’s administration, he ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in Washington state. He also served in the military, completing 11 deployments as a Green Beret, and later worked at the CIA.
