Joe Kent, the director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, has resigned from his position in protest against the ongoing war with Iran, citing serious disagreements with the government’s policy.
Kent said he made the decision to step down after much thought, explaining that he could no longer support the war.
In his resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, he stated that Iran does not pose an immediate threat to the United States. He also claimed that the conflict has been influenced by pressure from Israel and its powerful lobbying groups.
Joe Kent said he stepped down after “much reflection”, adding that he could no longer support the war. In his resignation letter to US President Donald Trump, he argued that Iran posed “no imminent threat” to the United States and claimed the conflict had been driven by “pressure” from Israel and its influential lobby.
“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” he wrote, sharing the letter publicly.
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
An Army veteran, Joe Kent highlighted his personal connection to the issue, saying that his wife, Shannon Kent, was killed in Syria in 2019. Referring to this loss, he said he cannot support another war which, in his opinion, does not clearly serve the interests of the United States.
“As a veteran who deployed to combat 11 times and as a Gold Star husband who lost my beloved wife Shannon in a war manufactured by Israel, 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 wrote.
