Joseph Kent resigns as Counterterrorism head over Iran war opposition.
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The Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joseph Kent, has resigned with immediate effect, citing strong opposition to the United States’ ongoing war in Iran and accusing senior political and media figures of driving the country into conflict under false pretences.
In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent said he could no longer support what he described as an unjustified war, saying: “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran.”
Kent directly challenged the rationale for the conflict, stating that Iran posed no imminent threat to the nation, and alleging that the United States had been drawn into war “due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
The resignation marks a rare and public rebuke from a senior national security official, and underscores growing divisions within the administration over foreign policy direction.
Kent, a combat veteran, framed his decision as both principled and personal, highlighting his military service and family sacrifice.
“As a veteran who deployed to combat 11 times and as a Gold Star husband, I cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people,” he said.
In his letter, Kent also appealed directly to the president to reconsider the current course, urging a return to earlier policy positions.
“I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for. You can reverse course and chart a new path for our nation,” he said.
He further claimed that “a misinformation campaign” by “high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media” had helped shift policy toward war, adding that the narrative of an imminent Iranian threat “was a lie.”
Kent’s departure removes a key figure from the US counterterrorism leadership at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East and is likely to intensify political debate in Washington over the justification and trajectory of the Iran conflict.
“It was an honor to serve in your administration and to serve our great nation,” said Kent.
IOL News