The Director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, Joseph Kent, resigned Tuesday in protest of the war against Iran. Kent stated the conflict began due to “pressure” from Israel and a “disinformation campaign.” He is the first high-ranking Trump administration official to leave the government over disagreement with the war.
A Resignation Rooted in Disagreement
In his resignation letter to President Donald Trump, shared on X, Kent stated, “, in good conscience, support the ongoing war in Iran.” He added that “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
Kent recalled that, during the early days of the Trump administration, the president “understood better than any recent president how to apply military power without getting us into endless wars.” He wrote in the letter to the president that “until June of 2025, you understood that wars in the Middle East were a trap that robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots.”
In June 2025, Trump ordered the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, in a coordinated operation with Israel, which triggered a twelve-day military escalation with Iran. The Republican president then declared that “Iran’s nuclear capabilities had been annihilated” and invited the Tehran regime to negotiate, though those efforts did not lead to a peaceful resolution. Subsequently, on February 28, Trump ordered a recent wave of attacks, again in collaboration with the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. This campaign has led to Iranian attacks against several countries in the region and the near-total blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The war with Iran has created differences within the MAGA (Create America Great Again) movement, the electoral base that propelled Trump’s return to the presidency in the 2024 election. Various politicians and conservative commentators have accused the president of breaking his promise not to open new military fronts. Kent argued in his letter that, at the beginning of the administration, “high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a disinformation campaign” to present Iran as an imminent threat. “That was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to drag us into the disastrous war against Iraq,” he stated. The former director urged Trump to “reflect on what we are doing in Iran.”
President Donald Trump called the resignation “a good thing” and criticized Kent, stating, “I always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security.” Upon learning the contents of the resignation letter, he added, “I realized that it’s a good thing that he’s out.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What reason did Joseph Kent give for his resignation?
Joseph Kent resigned because he could not, in good conscience, support the ongoing war in Iran, believing Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States and that the war was initiated due to pressure from Israel and its American lobby.
When did President Trump order the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities?
President Trump ordered the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, in a coordinated operation with Israel.
How did President Trump respond to Kent’s resignation?
President Trump called Kent’s resignation “a good thing” and criticized him, stating he always thought Kent was “weak on security.”
As the situation in the Middle East continues to evolve, what impact might this high-profile resignation have on the future course of U.S. Foreign policy?
