The Director of the National Counterterrorism Center in the United States, Joe Kent, has resigned in protest against America’s war on Iran.
Mr Kent shared his resignation letter on X on Tuesday.
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“After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, effective today,” Mr Kent wrote in his post on X.
“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.
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“It has been an honour serving under @POTUS and @DNIGabbard and leading the professionals at NCTC.”
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the majority of Americans oppose the US war with Iran, with many saying Iran posed no threat to the US and that the war was at the instance of Israel.
The war, which entered its 18th day today, started when the US and Israel launched unprovoked attacks on Iran. Over 1,500 people have been killed in the war, the majority of them Iranians, including the country’s former leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In his letter, Mr Kent said he supported the “values and the foreign policies” that Mr Trump campaigned on in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
He also said he supported the foreign policies Mr Trump enacted in his first term, in which the president sought to avoid wars in the Middle East, “that robbed America of the precious lives.”
However, he noted that Mr Trump has fallen into a trap in which high-ranking Israeli officials and other influential members have deployed to undermine his “America First” campaign.
“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,” Mr Kent continued.
“This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war that cost our nation the lives of thousands of our best men and women.”
“We cannot make this mistake again,” Mr Kent added.
Why US attacked Iran
The rationale provided by the Trump administration for the war has been ever-changing and sometimes even contradictory.
At the start of the war, the administration had argued that Iran’s missile arsenal and nuclear ambitions posed a direct threat to Americans—a claim the country has denied.
It also framed the war as a campaign for Iranian liberation.
On 2 March, Marco Rubio told reporters at Capitol Hill that the US entered the war with Iran due to concerns that an Israeli strike on Iran would trigger an attack that might affect the US.
“There absolutely was an imminent threat, and the imminent threat was that we knew that if Iran was attacked, and we believed they would be attacked, that they would immediately come after us,” he said.
“We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,” he added.
Mr Trump, however, contradicted Mr Rubio’s statement a day later, declaring that the decision to attack Iran was made solely by him and not driven by Israel’s intention.
“If anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand,” he said.
READ ALSO: US/Israel-Iran War (Day 18): America’s allies refuse Trump’s Strait of Hormuz request
PREMIUM TIMES also reported that the US was considering arming Kurdish rebels to foment an uprising in Iran that would topple the Islamic regime after its attempt to trigger a popular uprising in the country failed.
Mr Trump also claimed that the war, now in its third week, would end “very soon,” without providing a specific timeframe.
At least 13 American soldiers have been killed in the war, with about 200 others injured.
Demand for a ceasefire intensified over the last week. But Mr Trump said the US is not interested in negotiating with Iran.
The administration has also turned down attempts by its Middle Eastern allies to initiate diplomatic negotiations.
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