WASHINGTON.—The director of the National Counterterrorism Center resigned saying that “cannot in good conscience” support the iran war launched by the government of President Donald Trump.
Joe Kent He wrote on social media that Iran represented “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 is a former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists. He was confirmed to his position last July by a vote of 52-44.
After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today.
I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this… pic.twitter.com/prtu86DpEr
— Joe Kent (@joekent16jan19) March 17, 2026
Text of Joe Kent’s resignation
President Trump,
After deep reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Anti-Terrorism Center, effective immediately.
I cannot, in good conscience, support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran did not pose an imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.
I support the values and foreign policies that you championed in your 2016, 2020, and 2024 campaigns, and that you implemented during your first term. Until June 2025, you understood that the wars in the Middle East were a trap that deprived America of the precious lives of our patriots and undermined the wealth and prosperity of our nation.
In your first term, you understood better than any other modern president how to apply military power decisively without becoming embroiled in endless wars. He demonstrated this by assassinating Qasam Soleimani and defeating ISIS.
At the beginning of this administration, senior Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a disinformation campaign that completely undermined his “America First” platform and sowed warmongering sentiments to incite a war with Iran. This sounding board was used to trick them into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, and that if they attacked now, there would be a clear path to a quick victory. This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to drag us into the disastrous Iraq war, which cost our nation the lives of thousands of our best men and women. We cannot make this mistake again.
As an 11-time combat veteran and as the husband of a fallen soldier who lost his beloved wife Shannon in a war manufactured by Israel, I cannot support the next generation going to fight and die in a war that does not benefit the American people or justify the cost of American lives.
I ask you to reflect on what we are doing in Iran and who we are doing it for. The time has come to act decisively. You can rectify and chart a new course for our nation, or you can allow us to slide further into decay and chaos. The decision is in your hands.
It was an honor to serve in your administration and our great nation.
Leave a Reply