The director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, has resigned over the war with Iran, stating the attacks were unjustified and posed no imminent threat to the US.
Washington: The director of the US National Counterterrorism Centre, which advises both US President Donald Trump and the Director of National Intelligence on terror threats, has resigned in protest over the ongoing conflict with Iran.
In a resignation letter posted on X, Joe Kent stated he could not “in good conscience” support the war.
“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.
He also criticised Trump’s previous Middle East policies, noting, “you understood that wars in the Middle East were a trap that robbed America of the previous lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.”
Kent’s resignation marks the most high-profile departure from the Trump administration since US and Israeli forces carried out strikes on Iranian targets on February 28.
Published: 17 Mar 2026, 08:13 pm IST
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