Senior US Counterterrorism Chief Resigns, Says Iran Poses No Imminent Threat

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A senior U.S. counterterrorism official resigned on Tuesday in protest of the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, stating that the Islamic Republic posed no immediate threat to the United States.

Joseph Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), announced his resignation in a letter addressed to Donald Trump, saying he could not “in good conscience” support the war.

“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote, arguing that “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation,” and alleging that the conflict was initiated under pressure from Israel and its allies in the United States.

Kent, 45, a former Green Beret with multiple combat deployments, becomes the first senior official to step down from the administration over the war.

In his letter, Kent also drew on personal experience, noting that his wife, Shannon Kent, a U.S. service member, was killed in a 2019 suicide bombing in Syria. He described himself as a “Gold Star husband” and said he could not support sending more Americans to fight in what he characterized as a war that offers no benefit to the American people.

“As a veteran who deployed to combat 11 times... I cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people,” he wrote.

As head of the Virginia-based NCTC, Kent served under Tulsi Gabbard, coordinating intelligence efforts and advising the president on counterterrorism threats.

Kent further claimed that, prior to June 2025, President Trump had recognized the risks of prolonged conflicts in the Middle East, but was later influenced by what he described as a “misinformation campaign” led by Israeli officials and segments of the American media to justify military action against Iran.

He also alleged that similar tactics had been used to draw the United States into the Iraq War, which he described as costly in both lives and resources.

Before leading the NCTC, Kent served as a paramilitary officer with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) after leaving the U.S. Army. He also ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2022 and 2024 as a Republican candidate from Washington state.