Top US counterterrorism official Joe Kent resigns over Iran war, urging Trump to 'reverse course'

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WASHINGTON: Joe Kent, the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, has resigned in protest, claiming the United States was "deceived" into a war with Iran that serves foreign interests rather than American security.

His departure marks the most significant internal protest since the war began. In his resignation letter posted to social media, Kent stated that a review of top-level intelligence confirmed Iran "posed no imminent threat to our nation" at the time military operations were initiated.

He urged President Trump to "reverse course," citing his own 11 combat deployments and the loss of his wife, Shannon Kent, who was killed in Syria in 2019. "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," the letter stated.

In his letter addressed to President Trump, Kent alleged that the administration was "deceived" by a sophisticated misinformation campaign. He wrote that high-ranking foreign officials and media figures created an "echo chamber" designed to undermine the President’s "America First" platform.

Kent specifically pointed to "pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby" as the primary driver behind the escalation, claiming that "high-ranking Israeli officials" had sown misinformation that led the President to war.

The White House and President Trump moved swiftly to dismiss Kent’s claims. Speaking from the Oval Office, the President described Kent as a "nice guy" but "weak on security," adding that the resignation letter made him realize "it was a good thing that he's out."

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called Kent’s suggestion of foreign influence "insulting and laughable," maintaining that the President had "strong and compelling evidence" that Iran was going to attack the U.S. first. Additionally, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard backed the decision, stating that after "carefully reviewing all the information before him," Trump concluded the "terrorist Islamist regime in Iran posed an imminent threat."

The exit of a key intelligence head highlights a growing rift within the administration’s national security team. While critics like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) accused Kent of "trafficking in old-age antisemitic tropes," supporters such as Marjorie Taylor Greene defended him as an "American hero," urging the public not to "believe the lies" intended to discredit him.

Photo Credits: AFP