President Trump’s director of the National Counterterrorism Center, retired Army Green Beret Joe Kent, announced his immediate resignation, openly criticizing the administration’s decision to attack Iran.
In a resignation letter to the president, Kent wrote that “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, a staunch Trump ally who had been praised when nominated, said the attack was unjustified and cited what he described as outside influence on the decision.
Trump responded by downplaying Kent’s criticism, saying that Kent’s statement showed he was “out” and repeating that Iran was a threat. The resignation makes Kent the first senior administration official to publicly resign in protest over the Iran war.
Kent’s departure highlights divisions within the pro‑Trump MAGA coalition and among conservative media personalities; prominent right‑wing figures such as Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have criticized U.S. involvement. Kent also drew bipartisan attention—some Democrats agreed with his central point that Iran did not pose an imminent threat, while others condemned his charge that Israel influenced the decision to attack.
The resignation adds to mounting political fallout from the administration’s decision to strike Iran, intensifying debate in Congress and among the public over the intelligence, rationale and diplomatic consequences behind the offensive.