Top US Counterterrorism Chief Joe Kent Resigns Over Iran War

Joe Kent, Director of the United States National Counterterrorism Center, has resigned his position in protest against the ongoing US war in Iran, claiming the conflict was launched under pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby rather than any direct threat to America.

The resignation, announced on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, comes barely three weeks into the conflict and marks the first major departure of a senior Trump administration official over the strikes. Kent, a retired Green Beret with 11 combat deployments and a staunch Trump loyalist since the 2016 campaign, posted his full resignation letter on X, addressed directly to President Donald Trump.

“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 war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” Kent wrote. He accused high-ranking Israeli officials and influential American media figures of running a “misinformation campaign” that undermined Trump’s “America First” agenda and echoed the tactics used to drag the US into the Iraq war.

The letter, which has already garnered millions of views and tens of thousands of engagements on X, continues: “Early in this administration, high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran. This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, and that should you strike now, there was a clear path to a swift victory. This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war…”

Kent, who lost his wife Shannon in a previous conflict he described as “manufactured by Israel,” added a personal plea: “As a veteran who deployed to combat 11 times and as a Gold Star husband… I cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people nor justifies the cost of American lives.” He urged Trump to “reverse course” before the nation slips further into decline.

The development has sent shockwaves through Washington. Kent was one of Trump’s earliest and most vocal supporters; he twice ran for Congress in Washington state as a MAGA candidate, served as a foreign affairs adviser during the first Trump term, and was nominated to head the National Counterterrorism Center in February 2025. Democrats had earlier criticised his appointment over reported past associations with far-right figures and white nationalist-linked groups, though he enjoyed strong backing from the president.

Multiple outlets including AP, BBC, Reuters, The New York Times and Politico have confirmed the resignation and the authenticity of the letter posted from Kent’s verified X account @joekent16jan19. No immediate comment has come from the White House, but the move highlights growing divisions within the administration over the Iran campaign, now in its third week.

Political watchers say the resignation could embolden other America First voices inside government who have long warned against endless Middle East entanglements. As global oil markets remain jittery and concerns rise over possible spillover effects on energy supplies, the dramatic exit of Trump’s top counterterrorism official adds fresh fuel to debates about the war’s true motives and costs.