Trump's counterterrorism chief resigns over Iran war, says conflict driven by ‘Israel pressure’

Joe Kent, director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, has resigned in protest over the ongoing war with Iran, citing deep differences with the policy direction of the conflict.

Kent said he stepped down after “much reflection”, adding that he could no longer support the war. In his resignation letter to US President Donald Trump, he argued that Iran posed “no imminent threat” to the United States and claimed the conflict had been driven by “pressure” from Israel and its influential lobby.

“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” he wrote, sharing the letter publicly.

Veteran who lost his wife opposes ‘another war’

An Army veteran, Kent underscored his personal stake in the issue, noting that his wife, Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent, was killed in Syria in 2019. Drawing on that loss, he said he could not back another conflict that, in his view, serves no clear American interest.

“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.

Urges Trump to reconsider course

While expressing support for Trump’s broader foreign policy vision, Kent said the President had previously recognised that prolonged wars in the Middle East drained American lives and resources. He urged Trump to “reflect” on the current path, warning of “decline and chaos” if the US continued down the same trajectory.

Once a staunch supporter, Kent said Trump had earlier understood that such wars were a “trap” that weakened the US. He also credited Trump’s first administration for what he described as decisive but limited use of military power, including the killing of Qasem Soleimani and the campaign against ISIS.

Confirmed to the post last July, Kent led the agency responsible for analysing and detecting terrorist threats. Before joining the administration, he served as a Green Beret with multiple deployments and later worked with the CIA. He also ran two unsuccessful congressional campaigns in Washington state.