Joe Kent, the head of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, has resigned in protest against the ongoing U.S. war with Iran, asserting that Israel and its advocacy network in America pressured Washington into a conflict that does not serve national interests.
Kent, a former military officer and CIA operative, was appointed to the counterterrorism chief role during the Trump administration and confirmed by the Senate in July 2025. His resignation, announced via a post on X, follows a career that included 11 combat tours, primarily in Iraq, before his 2018 military departure. In his letter, Kent stated he could not support the war, arguing that Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States. He directly attributed the conflict to influence from Israel and what he described as its powerful American lobby, calling it another “never-ending” war.
The U.S. and Israel initiated military action against Iran late last month, characterizing it as a preemptive strike to halt a purported nuclear weapons program—a claim Tehran denies. The operation has openly aimed at regime change. Kent alleged that former President Donald Trump was misled by a coordinated Israeli misinformation campaign, drawing a parallel to the intelligence failures that preceded the 2003 Iraq invasion. “We cannot make this mistake again,” Kent wrote, adding he could not endorse sending American service members to die in a war with no tangible benefit to the public.
His resignation follows an Axios report that Trump was considering an expansion of hostilities, including the potential seizure of Iran’s Kharg Island oil facility—a move that would likely necessitate a ground invasion. U.S.-Israeli strikes have already resulted in over 1,000 reported Iranian civilian deaths. Retaliatory actions across the Middle East have subsequently disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil transit chokepoint, raising concerns about broader regional and economic instability.
Kent’s departure marks a rare public break from a senior intelligence official over core foreign policy. His criticism intensifies debate over the extent of allied influence on U.S. decision-making and the long-term strategy toward Iran. The resignation underscores deepening internal dissent regarding the war’s justification, conduct, and costs as hostilities continue to spill beyond Iran’s borders.
