The top US counterterrorism official resigned on Tuesday over the Iran war, saying Tehran had posed no imminent threat to America and that President Donald Trump had been duped by Israel and some elements of the US media into starting the conflict.
Joe Kent was appointed last year to lead the US Counterterrorism Centre, serving under Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who in October condemned Washington's addiction to “regime change or nation building”. Like his boss, Mr Kent was an opponent of foreign military interventions.
His resignation is the first known instance of a US government official quitting over the current war. He said he could not “in good conscience” support it.
“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,” Mr Kent said in the letter, posted on X, to Mr Trump.
The US President and his senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have repeatedly claimed Iran did pose an imminent threat to the US, and that this was one of several justifications for the war.
Mr Kent is an army veteran and former intelligence officer, who served as a Green Beret, with numerous combat deployments, before working at the CIA.
His wife, Shannon Kent, a senior chief petty officer with the US Navy, was killed by a suicide bomber in Syria in 2019 while working for an American intelligence unit.
Mr Kent, who ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in Washington state, was a controversial pick for the leading counterterrorism role.
He has been linked to white nationalist groups and conspiracy theories, and was confirmed in his post only last year after strong opposition from Democrats, who highlighted his past ties to far-right figures.
Mr Kent told the President that until last June, he “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,” Mr Kent wrote.
“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.”
The State Department referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
