Trump’s Counterterrorism Chief Resigns, Citing Opposition to War with Iran

Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), Joseph Kent, has resigned in protest over the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, declaring that the Islamic Republic posed no imminent threat to the United States.

In a resignation letter addressed to President Donald Trump, Kent, 45, a decorated former Green Beret with multiple combat deployments, wrote:

“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, who was appointed by Trump to lead the NCTC, is the first senior official in the administration to step down explicitly over the conflict.

Personal Loss Shapes Decision

Kent’s resignation comes against a backdrop of personal tragedy. His wife, Shannon, also a US military veteran, was killed in a suicide bombing in Syria in 2019.

“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,” Kent wrote.

Career and Expertise

As NCTC director, based in Virginia, Kent coordinated the nation’s counterterrorism efforts and served as the principal adviser to the president on terrorist threats. He previously worked under Tulsi Gabbard, analyzing threats and directing intelligence coordination.

Kent also highlighted what he described as a misinformation campaign orchestrated by “high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media” that, in his view, manipulated public and presidential perception to justify the war.

“This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat and that 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 that cost our nation the lives of thousands,” he wrote.

Military and Political Background

After leaving the US Army, Kent served as a paramilitary officer for the Central Intelligence Agency. He later ran as a Trump-endorsed Republican candidate for the US House of Representatives from Washington state in 2022 and 2024, though unsuccessfully on both occasions.

Kent’s resignation underscores growing dissent within U.S. security and intelligence circles over the administration’s escalation in the Middle East and raises questions about internal support for the campaign against Iran.