A senior United States counterterrorism official, Joseph Kent has resigned in protest over the ongoing war involving the US, Israel and Iran, arguing that Tehran posed no immediate threat to Washington.
Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), stepped down on Tuesday, becoming the first high-ranking official to quit the administration of Donald Trump over the conflict.
In his resignation letter, Kent said he could not support what he described as a war lacking justification.
“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” he wrote.
Kent, a former Green Beret with multiple combat deployments, insisted that Iran did not present an imminent danger to the United States. He alleged that the conflict was driven by external pressure rather than direct national security concerns.
According to him, influential pro-Israel voices and sections of the American media created a narrative that pushed the US into war.
“This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat,” Kent said, warning that such claims mirrored the arguments used before the Iraq War.
Kent also drew from personal tragedy, referencing the death of his wife, Shannon, a US service member killed in a 2019 suicide bombing in Syria.
“As a Gold Star husband, I cannot support sending the next generation to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people,” he stated.
Before his appointment, Kent served in both the US Army and as a paramilitary officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. He also ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2022 and 2024 as a Republican candidate backed by Trump.
His resignation highlights growing internal tensions within the administration as the conflict with Iran continues to spark debate over US foreign policy and military involvement in the Middle East.
