The heart of U.S. intelligence suffered a political earthquake on Tuesday. Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), tendered his irrevocable resignation to President Donald Trump, leveling harsh accusations about the real motives behind the current military intervention in Iran.
In an indignant letter, Kent – a decorated Army veteran – said he cannot, “in good conscience,” continue to support a conflict that, in his words, does not pose an imminent threat to U.S. national security.
Betrayal of the “America First” motto?
After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today.
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… pic.twitter.com/prtu86DpEr
– Joe Kent (@joekent16jan19) March 17, 2026
In his missive published on his X account, the now former official reminded Trump of his own campaign promises, where the president called the wars in the Middle East a “trap” that bled prosperity and the lives of U.S. soldiers.
“I cannot, in good conscience, support the war being waged in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we initiated this war because of pressure from Israel and its powerful U.S. lobby,” Kent wrote in a letter to the president.
Joe Kent directly accused senior Israeli officials of orchestrating a “disinformation campaign” similar to the one used in 2003 to drag the country into the invasion of Iraq.
This resignation comes at a critical time for the Trump administration, facing not only the loss of 13 U.S. military personnel in combat, but also growing social unrest over soaring gasoline prices, a direct consequence of instability in the region.
This is how Trump reacted to the resignation
🇺🇸 President Donald Trump on the resignation of Joe Kent over the Iran war:
“I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security-very weak on security. I didn’t know him well, but he seemed like a pretty nice guy.
But when I read his statement, I… pic.twitter.com/GsP56QMKeK
– Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) March 17, 2026
President Donald Trump called Joe Kent, who resigned as director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center in disagreement with the war against Iran, “weak on security.”
“I didn’t know him well, I thought he seemed like a nice enough guy, but when I read his statement, I realized it’s a good thing he’s gone, because he said Iran was not a threat. Iran was a threat,” Trump said in a media appearance in the Oval Office.
The president insisted on the Iranian risk as a justification for military intervention: “All countries realized the threat posed by Iran. The question is whether or not they wanted to do something about it”.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt responded to this message also via X, with a text asserting that “there are many false claims in this letter, but let me address one in particular: that ‘Iran did not pose an imminent threat to our nation.'”
“As President Trump has clearly and explicitly stated, he had strong and convincing evidence that Iran was going to strike the United States first. This evidence was gathered from many sources and factors. President Trump would never make a decision to deploy military assets against a foreign adversary for nothing,” he said.
Joe Kent resigns, Republican Party fractures
There are many false claims in this letter but let me address one specifically: that “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation.”
This is the same false claim that Democrats and some in the liberal media have been repeating over and over.
As President Trump has clearly and. .. https://t.co/AC8M5L8lye
– Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 17, 2026
Joe Kent’s stance resonates with other influential voices in the president’s inner circle, such as journalist Tucker Carlson, who has criticized this war as contradicting the GOP’s promised domestic focus.
“I pray that he will reflect on what we are doing in Iran and who we are doing it for,” Kent concluded, urging the president to change course before the human and economic cost becomes irreversible.
Kent’s resignation Tuesday made him the highest-ranking official to leave the Trump administration since the start of the war and opens an internal crisis in the U.S. intelligence services.
Filed under: Joe Kent resigns
With information from EFE
