 "‘Told we would be greeted as liberators’: Trump’s ex-counterterror chief Joe Kent on what went wrong in Iran")
Former US counterterrorism chief Joe Kent has claimed that President Donald Trump was “led to believe” that military action against Iran would be swift and effective, alleging that Israel played a key role in shaping that perception.
Kent said that following protests in Iran earlier this year, Israeli officials pitched the idea that targeting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) would pave the way for protesters to take control. According to him, the plan was presented as a limited and straightforward operation, similar to past regime-change expectations in other conflicts.
“In essence, we were told we would be greeted as liberators — that strikes on the IRGC would allow protesters to take over,” Kent said, describing the proposal as overly optimistic.
His remarks come despite repeated denials from both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel pushed Washington into the war, which began on February 28.
Kent, who resigned from his post as head of the National Counterterrorism Center, has repeatedly argued that Iran posed no imminent threat to the US and claimed the conflict was driven by pressure from Israel and its allies.
He also suggested that decision-making within the administration was limited to a small circle of advisers, leaving little room for dissenting views. Drawing parallels with earlier US interventions, Kent said Trump was influenced by the belief that similar operations — such as efforts in Venezuela — could be replicated in Iran.
Quick Reads
View AllIn his resignation letter and subsequent remarks, Kent maintained that the war was avoidable and warned that ongoing escalation could undermine diplomatic efforts unless regional actors, particularly Israel, were restrained.
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