Director of Counter-terrorism abruptly resigns, after alleging the Iran war was ‘manufactured’
From ‘keeping America safe’ to being ‘weak on security.’
Joe Kent, the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, has officially stepped down over the US and Israeli war on Iran, making him the first senior official to openly break ranks with the White House on the conflict. Kent announced his resignation on X in a letter to President Donald Trump on March 17, 2026, stating he could not “in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran.”
According to The Washington Post, Kent, a staunch supporter of Trump and former Green Beret confirmed as NCTC director last July, claimed that Iran posed “no imminent threat to our nation.” He explicitly stated that the war began “due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” Kent’s decision highlights a divide between those skeptical of foreign military interventions and those who advocate for exercising US military might globally.
When reporters asked Trump for his reaction to Kent’s resignation, the president said he “always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security — very weak on security.” This stands in stark contrast to Trump’s praise just thirteen months ago when he nominated Kent, writing on social media that Kent had “hunted down terrorists and criminals his entire adult life” and would “keep America safe by eradicating all terrorism.”
This dramatic exit lays bare a clear schism within the Trump administration
In his resignation letter, Kent lauded Trump for previously using military power “without getting us drawn into never-ending wars.” He cited the killing of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani and the defeat of the Islamic State during the first Trump administration.
However, Kent accused “high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media” of orchestrating a “misinformation campaign” that “wholly undermined [Trump’s] America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran.” He believes that until June 2025, Trump understood that Middle Eastern wars were a “trap that robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back on Kent’s claims. She said that “President Trump has clearly and explicitly stated, he had strong and compelling evidence that Iran was going to attack the United States first.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously told lawmakers that the administration believed Iran would retaliate if Israel struck first, and Israel was planning to attack regardless of US involvement, forcing President Trump to respond.
Many leap to Trump’s defense over the US-Israeli war on Iran
House Speaker Mike Johnson also defended the administration’s decision, stating that there was “clearly an imminent threat that Iran was very close to … [a] nuclear capability and they were building missiles at a pace nobody could keep up with.” Johnson insisted that top officials had “exquisite intelligence” and that waiting would have resulted in “mass casualties of Americans.”
Kent’s boss, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, known for her anti-interventionist stance, had remained publicly silent on the Iran war until hours after Kent’s announcement. She then posted on X, stating, “After carefully reviewing all the information before him, President Trump concluded that the terrorist Islamist regime in Iran posed an imminent threat and he took action based on that conclusion.”
The reaction to Kent’s resignation has been swift and varied. Former Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene praised Kent as a “GREAT AMERICAN HERO.” Democratic Representative Jim Himes, a critic of the administration’s war rationale, posted, “At least someone in this administration is willing to stand by their principles.”
Senator Mark R. Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, while disagreeing with many of Kent’s views, conceded, “But on this point, he is right: There was no credible evidence of an imminent threat from Iran that would justify rushing the United States into another war of choice in the Middle East.”
Josh Paul, a former State Department official, also applauded Kent, echoing the sentiment that “Israel’s interests are not America’s — and its war with Iran should not be our war.” An anonymous administration official also voiced admiration for Kent’s consistent anti-war stance, noting that “Everybody is tired of this s—” regarding the Iran war.
However, criticism also mounted. Senator Lindsey Graham, an Iran hawk, stated on X that Kent’s resignation “could not have come at a better time.”
Sources, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter, revealed that Israel began a coordinated effort to pressure the US into striking Iran within weeks of Trump taking office in January 2025. Israeli officials reportedly argued that Iran was close to a nuclear weapon and that Israel would act with or without the US, requiring America to be ready to respond.
Kent’s resignation follows news that Dan Caldwell, who has advocated for military restraint, rejoined the ODNI as a senior adviser. Caldwell was previously fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in April 2025 on accusations of leaking classified information.
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