U.S. Counterterrorism Chief Joe Kent Resigns Over Iran War

According to a report by BBC on Tuesday, Kent said he could not support the conflict “in good conscience.”

The BBC report also noted that Kent had been confirmed by the Senate after being nominated by Donald Trump in July.

In his resignation letter addressed to Trump, Kent wrote, “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation. It is clear that we have entered this war under pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”

He further stated that he supports the values and foreign policy positions Trump campaigned on in 2016, 2020, and 2024, and implemented during his first term. Kent added that even by June 2025, Trump had recognized that Middle Eastern wars are a “trap” that cost American lives and drain national resources.

Describing his personal background, Kent said he is a veteran who served in combat 11 times and a “Gold Star” spouse who lost his wife, Shannon, in what he described as a war influenced by Israel.

“I cannot send the next generation to fight or die in a war that does not benefit the American people, nor can it be justified at the cost of American lives,” he wrote.