Washington has been drawn into yet another “endless” war with Israel and its “powerful American influence,” Joe Kent has said.
Joe Kent, the head of the US National Counter-Terrorism Center, has resigned in protest of Washington’s war against Iran, saying that Israel has dragged the US into other countries. “endless” conflicts that do not serve the interests of the United States.
A former military officer who also served in the CIA, Kent was nominated by US President Donald Trump for the post of head of counter-terrorism in February 2025 and confirmed by the Senate in July of the same year. He completed 11 combat tours, mostly in Iraq, before leaving the military in 2018.
“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran was not a threat to our nation,” Kent said in a resignation letter he posted on X on Tuesday. He also said that “It is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its strong American influence.”
Washington and West Jerusalem attacked the Islamic Republic late last month while blaming Tehran for the conflict and openly calling for regime change. The US and Israel described the operation as a pre-emptive strike aimed at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons – an intention it denies.
Kent claimed that Trump fell victim to a disinformation campaign orchestrated by Israel that tricked him into believing Tehran was a threat. Such lies were used to get the United States into a war with Iraq in 2003, he said.
“We can’t make this mistake again,” the outgoing counter-terrorism chief said. “I cannot support sending the next generation to fight and die in wars that do not benefit the American people or justify the cost of American lives,” he added.
The announcement comes just a day after Axios reported that Trump is allegedly considering seizing an oil hub on Iran’s Kharg island in a move that may require a ground operation.
The US and Israeli strikes have already reportedly killed more than 1,000 Iranians, prompting retaliatory strikes in the Middle East that closed the Strait of Hormuz – a major oil and gas shipping route.
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