A senior US counterterrorism official has resigned in protest against the Trump administration’s handling of the war with Iran, becoming the most senior figure to break ranks amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
Joseph “Joe” Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), announced on Tuesday that he was stepping down from his role, saying he could no longer support a conflict he believes is neither justified nor necessary.
Kent was appointed to the post by US President Donald Trump in July 2025. He said in a resignation letter posted on his social media account that Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation.”
He added that the United States had entered the war under pressure from “Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
The National Counterterrorism Center is the US government’s central hub for analysing and integrating intelligence related to terrorist threats. As its director, Kent was responsible for coordinating data and assessments that are meant to inform national security decisions. His departure therefore raises questions about internal disagreements and the weight given to intelligence assessments in the decision to engage militarily with Iran.
Kent is a former US Army warrant officer and Green Beret with 20 years of military service, including eleven combat deployments. After retiring from the Army, he served as a paramilitary officer with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He later entered politics, running unsuccessfully for Congress in Washington state in 2022 and again in 2024.
The war between the United States and Iran started on 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel carried out major airstrikes on Iran that hit military sites and killed senior Iranian leaders, and Iran responded with missiles and drones against U.S. and allied forces in the region.
Republicans and the MAGA base claim that Iranian actions threatened American assets and allies in the Middle East, while most Democrats argued that there was no clear evidence of an immediate attack on US interests.
In his statements, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” and reiterated his view that the conflict lacked a sound basis in verified threat assessments.
