The head of the National Counterterrorism Center resigned on Tuesday, becoming the first and most senior member of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to resign over the war in Iran, saying Tehran posed no imminent threat to the United States.
In a stinging rebuke, Kent, who was a top aide to intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard, said Trump launched the war under pressure from Israel despite Iran posing “no imminent threat” to the U.S.. His resignation underscores the discomfort many in the “America First” camp feel about the war.
He said in a letter to Trump posted on X: “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.
“I support the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on in 2016, 2020, 2024, which you enacted in your first term. Until June of 2025, you understood that the wars in the Middle East were a trap that robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.
“Early 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 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 of our best men and women. We cannot make this mistake again.
“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 lobby.”
Some experts have said an imminent threat would be required for the United States to launch a war under current law.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence also did not immediately respond.
Intelligence officials were caught off guard by the news.
Kent’s boss and of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, has kept a low profile since the Iran war began.
Gabbard has not issued any public statements and has only appeared in public during the dignified transfer of American soldiers killed earlier this month during the conflict with Iran.
Kent served in Army Special Forces and as a CIA paramilitary officer, before twice running unsuccessfully for Congress as a Trump-aligned Republican.
Democrats opposed his appointment, citing his ties to far-right figures, his embrace of conspiracy theories about Jan. 6, and an alleged attempt to influence a Venezuela intelligence report.
@Reuters
