The top US counter-terrorism official has resigned on over the Iran war, saying Tehran posed no imminent threat and that US President Donald Trump had been duped by Israel and some elements of the media into starting the conflict.
Joe Kent was appointed last year to lead the US Counter-Terrorism Centre, serving under Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who in October condemned Washington's addiction to “regime change or nation building”.
Mr Kent, also a vocal opponent of foreign military interventions, became the first known US government official to quit over the war in Iran. 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 told Mr Trump in his letter of resignation, which was posted on social media.
Mr Trump 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.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Kent's assertion that there was no imminent threat was untrue.
“This is the same false claim that Democrats and some in the liberal media have been repeating over and over,” she said in a statement.
“As President Trump has clearly and explicitly stated, he had strong and compelling evidence that Iran was going to attack the United States first.”
On the “absurd allegation” that Mr Trump made this decision based on the influence of others including Israel, Ms Leavitt said that is “both insulting and laughable”.
Green Beret
Mr Kent is an army veteran and former intelligence officer. He was a Green Beret, with several combat deployments, and later worked 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 disputed pick for the leading counter-terrorism 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 Mr Trump 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,” he added.
“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.”
Democratic Representative Jim Hines said Mr Trump's war is “unpopular not only with the American people, but with his own senior staff because they understand the enormous strategic damage being done to the US.
“At least someone in this administration is willing to stand by their principles,” Mr Hines wrote on X.
