Top U.S. counterterrorism official resigns over Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threat

Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, announced his resignation on Tuesday (March 17, 2026), saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration’s war in Iran.

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Mr. Kent said on social media, 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.” There was no immediate comment from the White House.

Mr. Kent, a former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists, was confirmed to his post last July on a 52-44 vote.

As head of the National Counterterrorism Centre, he was in charge of an agency tasked with analysing and detecting terrorist threats.

Before entering President Donald Trump’s administration, Mr. Kent ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in Washington state. He also served in the military, seeing 11 deployments as a Green Beret, followed by work at the CIA.

Democrats strongly opposed Mr. Kent’s confirmation, pointing to his past ties to far-right figures and conspiracy theories. During his 2022 congressional campaign, Mr. Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, a member of the far-right military group the Proud Boys, for consulting work. He also worked closely with Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer, and attracted support from a variety of far-right figures.

During his Senate confirmation hearing, Mr. Kent also refused to distance himself from a conspiracy theory that federal agents instigated the January 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, as well as false claims that Mr. Trump, a Republican, won the 2020 election over Democrat Joe Biden.

Democrats grilled Mr. Kent on his participation in a group chat on Signal that was used by Mr. Trump’s National Security team to discuss sensitive military plans.

Still, Republicans praised Mr. Kent’s counterterrorism qualifications, pointing to his military and intelligence experience.

Sen. Tom Cotton, the GOP chair of the intelligence committee, said in a floor speech that Mr. Kent had “dedicated his career to fighting terrorism and keeping Americans safe.”