Joe Kent has stepped down as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announcing his departure in a detailed message posted to social media.
In a statement shared on X, Kent wrote: “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 powerful American lobby.
“It has been an honor serving under @POTUS and @DNIGabbard and leading the professionals at NCTC.
“May God bless America.”
Kent also attached a longer note addressed to President Trump, arguing that external messaging pushed the administration toward conflict. In the letter, he claimed: “Earlier in this administration, high ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran.
“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 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 of our best men and women. We cannot make this mistake again.”
With his resignation, Kent is one of the most senior figures to publicly criticize the decision to strike Iran while serving in the Trump administration.
In his letter, Kent added that ‘as a veteran’ he could not support sending ‘the next generation off to fight’.
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
He added: “As a veteran that deployed 11 times and as a Gold Star husband who lost my beloved wife Shannon in a war manufactured by Israel, | 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.
“I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for. The time
for bold action is now. You can reverse course and chart a new path for our nation, or you can
allow us to sip further toward decline and chaos. You hold the cards.”
The White House later responded, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posting a statement to X disputing claims made in Kent’s resignation letter.
It reads in full: “There are many false claims in this letter but let me address one specifically: that ‘Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation.’
There are many false claims in this letter but let me address one specifically: that "Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation."
This is the same false claim that Democrats and some in the liberal media have been repeating over and over.
As President Trump has clearly and… https://t.co/AC8M5L8lye— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 17, 2026
“This is the same false claim that Democrats and some in the liberal media have been repeating over and over.
“As President Trump has clearly and explicitly stated, he had strong and compelling evidence that Iran was going to attack the United States first.
“This evidence was compiled from many sources and factors. President Trump would never make the decision to deploy military assets against a foreign adversary in a vacuum.
“Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.
“The Iranian regime is evil. It proudly killed Americans, waged war against our country, and openly threatened us all the way up to the launch of Operation Epic Fury.
“Iran was aggressively expanding their short-range ballistic missiles to combine with their naval assets to give themselves immunity – meaning they would have a degree of a capabilities that would give them immunity to hold us and the rest of the world hostage.
“The regime aimed to use those ballistic missiles as a shield to continue achieving their ultimate goal – nuclear weapons.
“The President, through his top negotiators, gave the regime every single possible opportunity to abandon this unacceptable course by permanently giving up their nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief, free nuclear fuel, and potential economic partnerships with our country.
“But they would not say yes to peace because obtaining nuclear weapons was their fundamental goal.
“President Trump ultimately made the determination that a joint attack with Israel would greatly reduce the risk to American lives that would come from a first strike by the terrorist Iranian regime and address this imminent threat to America’s national security interests.
“All of this led to President Trump arriving at the determination that this military operation was necessary for U.S. national security, which is why he launched the massively successful Operation Epic Fury.
“The Commander-in-Chief determines what does and does not constitute a threat, because he is the one constitutionally empowered to do so – and because the American people went to the ballot box and entrusted him and him alone to make such final judgments.
“And finally, the absurd allegation that President Trump made this decision based on the influence of others, even foreign countries, is both insulting and laughable. President Trump has been remarkably consistent and has said for DECADES that Iran can NEVER possess a nuclear weapon.
“As someone who actually witnesses President Trump’s decision-making process on a daily basis, I can attest to the fact that he is always looking to do what’s in the best interest of the United States of America — period.
“America First.”