The Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, has resigned from the Trump administration over the war in Iran. Kent was formerly a Green Beret and served in the CIA.
“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,” Kent explained in his resignation letter posted on his X account on Wednesday.
After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, 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… pic.twitter.com/prtu86DpEr
— Joe Kent (@joekent16jan19) March 17, 2026
Over two weeks ago, President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a surprise attack on Iran that ignited fighting across a dozen countries. Trump and Netanyahu have not articulated a clear reason for starting the war.
Iran does not have the military capability to strike the US, and Tehran did not have a nuclear weapons program. Several top US officials have said the US attacked Iran because Israel was prepared to launch a unilateral strike, and Washington assessed Tehran would respond by targeting American military bases in the Middle East.
Kent accused the media and members of Trump’s inner circle of lying to the President about the threat posed by Iran. “Early in this administration, high-ranking 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,” he explained.
“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.” Kent continued, 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.
Trump has received significant criticism for launching the war from some of his closest supporters, including Tucker Carlson. “I support the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on in 2016, 2020, 2024, which you enacted in your first term,” Kent wrote. “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.”
Kent ended his letter by lobbying Trump to end the conflict. “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.”
“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,” he added.
Kent also served as the deputy to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Gabbard is one of several top-level officials in the Trump administration who previously argued against needless wars in the Middle East.
