US National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent resigns over Iran war

The director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, which advises both US President Donald Trump and the director of national intelligence on “terror” threats, has resigned over the war with Iran.

In a resignation letter posted on X, Joe Kent said he could not “in good conscience” support the ongoing 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,” he said.

He pointed to Trump’s past pledges to end US engagement abroad, writing, “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”.

The resignation is the most high-profile from the Trump administration since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28.

Kent’s reference to the term “imminent threat” is also significant.

Such imminence is considered a prerequisite for US presidents to launch military attacks without congressional approval under US law. It is also significant to launch legal attacks on sovereign nations under international law.

Trump endorsed and nominated
Trump had nominated Kent to lead the role after formerly endorsing his unsuccessful campaign for the US House of Representatives.

He had previously been an Army Ranger and member of the US Special Forces, serving 11 combat deployments in the Middle East. His wife was killed by an ISIL (ISIS) suicide bomber in Syria in 2019.

In his resignation letter, Kent referenced his wife’s death, saying she had been killed in a war “manufactured by Israel”.