WASHINGTON – (Queen City Newsfeed) – Joseph Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation effective immediately, saying he could not support the United States’ ongoing war in Iran.
In a statement released Tuesday, Kent said the conflict lacked sufficient justification and argued that Iran “posed no imminent threat” to the United States. He also alleged that the war was driven by external political pressure, including influence from Israel and pro-Israel advocacy groups in the U.S.
“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent said. “It is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
Kent, who has served in the role during the Trump administration, expressed appreciation for President Donald Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, as well as the staff at the NCTC. “It has been an honor,” he said, concluding his public statement with “May God bless America.”
In a more detailed resignation letter addressed to Trump, Kent praised the president’s earlier foreign policy approach, particularly his efforts to avoid prolonged military engagements in the Middle East. He pointed to Trump’s first-term actions, including the strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and the campaign against ISIS, as examples of decisive military strategy without entanglement in “never-ending wars.”
Kent argued that the current conflict marked a departure from those principles. He claimed that “high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media” had promoted what he described as misinformation portraying Iran as an imminent threat, ultimately influencing U.S. decision-making.
“This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war,” Kent wrote, referencing the 2003 invasion that resulted in prolonged conflict and significant U.S. casualties.
Kent, a combat veteran who said he deployed 11 times, also cited personal reasons for his decision. He described himself as a Gold Star husband, noting that his wife, Shannon, was killed in a previous conflict. He said that experience shaped his opposition to sending U.S. troops into what he called another unnecessary war.
“I cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people,” he wrote.
Kent urged Trump to reconsider the current course, saying the president still had an opportunity to change direction. “You can reverse course and chart a new path for our nation, or you can allow us to slip further toward decline and chaos,” he wrote.
The White House and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kent’s departure leaves a leadership vacancy at the National Counterterrorism Center at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East.
