'Iran Posed No Imminent Threat’: Trump’s Top Counterterrorism Official Resigns Over Middle East War

United States: One of the United States’ senior counterterrorism officials, Joe Kent, stepped down from his position on Tuesday, saying he could not support the ongoing war involving Iran.

Kent, who was serving as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation through a social media post. In the post, he directly criticised the ongoing conflict in Middle East and the circumstances that he believes led the United States into it.

“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Mr. Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, wrote in a social media post. “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.”

Resignation Letter Sent to Trump 

Along with the post, Kent shared a resignation letter addressed to US President Donald Trump.

In the letter, Kent claimed that Israeli officials had played a role in pushing the United States into the conflict with Iran. He argued that a campaign of misleading information helped build support for military action.

Kent wrote that what he described as a “misinformation campaign” by senior Israeli officials and sections of the news media had weakened Trump’s “America First platform” and encouraged pro-war sentiment that eventually led to the conflict with Iran. 

A veteran of the Iraq War, Kent said the arguments now being used to justify attacking Iran reminded him of the debate that preceded the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He said the promises being made about a quick victory sounded similar to the claims made before the Iraq war began.

Personal Loss and Opposition to War

Kent also spoke about the personal loss he experienced during the war in Syria. His wife, Shannon, a military cryptologist, was killed while serving there.

“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 wrote.

Before his resignation, Kent had been a key adviser to Tulsi Gabbard. Within the administration, he had often argued for a more restrained approach to foreign policy.