Top Trump Counterterrorism Chief Resigns Over Iran War
Joe Kent, President Trump's director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his immediate resignation Tuesday, making him the highest-ranking Trump administration official to quit over the ongoing U.S. war with Iran.
Kent posted his resignation letter on X, stating he "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."
'We Started This War Due to Pressure From Israel'
Kent was direct in his reasoning, writing that Iran "posed no imminent threat to our nation" and that the U.S. had been drawn into the conflict through outside influence.
"It is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby," he wrote.
He accused high-ranking Israeli officials and influential American media figures of running a "misinformation campaign" that "wholly undermined" Trump's America First platform and pushed the administration toward war.
A Decorated Veteran Who Knows the Cost of War
Kent is a retired Green Beret who has experienced the human toll of conflict firsthand. His wife, Shannon, was killed by a suicide bomber in Syria in 2019, leaving behind two sons.
He argued that before the U.S. and Israel struck Iran's nuclear facilities last June, Trump himself had understood that Middle East wars were "a trap that robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation."
Kent drew a direct parallel to the Iraq War, alleging that the same tactics used to draw the U.S. into that conflict — which cost thousands of American lives — were deployed again to justify military action against Iran.
A Direct Message to the President
Kent addressed his resignation letter personally to Trump, urging him to reverse course.
"You can reverse course and chart a new path for our nation, or you can allow us to slip further toward decline and chaos," he wrote. "You hold the cards."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kent's Role and Confirmation
As director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Kent served as the president's principal counterterrorism adviser, overseeing U.S. counterterrorism and counternarcotics efforts.
Trump nominated Kent in February 2025. He was confirmed by the Senate in July 2025.
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