Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent resigns: I cannot support the war in Iran, Israel was pressuring

(Patria) - Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent has resigned due to the war with Iran, stating that the country did not pose an "imminent threat" to the United States.

"I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran," Joe Kent wrote in a social media post.

"Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its strong American lobby," he wrote.

Resignation letter:

"Mr. President,

After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today.

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 strong American lobby.

I support the values and foreign policy that you ran on in 2016, 2020, and 2024, and that you implemented in your first term. By June 2025, you understood that the wars in the Middle East were a trap that cost the precious lives of our countrymen and depleted our country's wealth and prosperity.

In your first term, you understood better than any modern president how to decisively apply military force without drawing us into endless wars. You demonstrated this by eliminating Qasem Soleimani and defeating ISIS.

In the early stages of this administration, high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media conducted a disinformation campaign that completely undermined your "America First" policy and fanned pro-war sentiment to instigate a war with Iran. That same group misled you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States and that action should be taken immediately, with a clear path to a swift victory. That was a lie and the same tactic by which the Israelis drew the US into the disastrous war in Iraq, which cost our country the lives of thousands of our best men and women. We must not make that mistake again.

As a veteran who was deployed on combat missions 11 times and as the husband of a fallen soldier, who lost my beloved wife Shannon in a war initiated by Israel, I cannot support sending a new generation to fight and die in a war that brings no benefit to the American people nor justifies the cost in American lives.

I ask you to reconsider what we are doing in Iran and for whom we are doing it. Now is the time for swift action. You can reverse course and choose a new path for our country, or allow us to continue to slide towards ruin and chaos. The cards are in your hands. It has been an honor to serve in your administration and to serve our great nation," the letter states.

After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today.

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… pic.twitter.com/prtu86DpEr

— Joe Kent (@joekent16jan19) March 17, 2026