Joe Kent Resigns as Trump Counterterrorism Chief Over Iran War

Joe Kent resigned Tuesday as director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, saying he could not “in good conscience” support the Trump administration’s war in Iran.

Kent announced his departure in a resignation letter posted on social media, arguing that the United States entered the conflict without evidence of an imminent threat and blaming pressure from Israel and pro-Israel lobbying groups. “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 wrote. “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” he added.

Kent also warned that the United States risked repeating past mistakes in the Middle East. “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,” Kent wrote. “We cannot make this mistake again.”

Kent’s resignation marks the first known departure of a senior Trump administration official over the war in Iran. As director of the National Counterterrorism Center, he oversaw an agency responsible for analyzing terrorist threats and coordinating intelligence across the U.S. government.

President Donald Trump quickly rejected Kent’s claims when asked about the resignation at the White House. “When I read his statement I realized it’s a good thing that he’s out,” Trump said. “Iran was a tremendous threat. If somebody doesn’t believe Iran was a threat, we don’t want those people,” the president said.

The White House also dismissed Kent’s accusations. White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the letter contained inaccurate claims about the justification for the military strikes. “There are many false claims in this letter,” the press secretary said, adding that critics were repeating arguments already made by Democrats and some media outlets.

Republican leaders in Congress also defended the administration’s decision to use force. House Speaker Mike Johnson said intelligence briefings showed Iran was moving rapidly toward advanced nuclear and missile capabilities. “I got all the briefings,” Johnson said. “We all understood that there was clearly an imminent threat.”

Johnson warned that delaying action could have led to major casualties. Waiting, he said, could have resulted in “mass casualties of Americans, service members and others,” and severe damage to U.S. military installations.

Democratic lawmakers, however, used the resignation to renew criticism of the administration’s justification for the war. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he disagreed with many of Kent’s past political positions but supported his assessment of the intelligence.

“I strongly disagree with many of the positions he has espoused over the years, particularly those that risk politicizing our intelligence community,” Warner said. “But on this point, he is right: There was no credible evidence of an imminent threat from Iran.”

Kent, a former Republican congressional candidate from Washington state, was confirmed as director of the National Counterterrorism Center last July in a 52–44 Senate vote. The Trump administration is expected to appoint a replacement to lead the counterterrorism center as the war with Iran continues.