Joseph Kent, a decorated former Green Beret and the Director of the United States National Counterterrorism Centre (NCTC), has resigned, citing moral and strategic objections to America’s ongoing military operations in Iran.
“After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position… I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote, adding that Tehran posed no imminent threat to the United States.
He accused high-ranking Israeli officials and their American allies of pressuring the administration into conflict, invoking a pattern reminiscent of pre-Iraq War intelligence manipulation.
Kent, who deployed on 11 combat missions and lost his wife Shannon in a previous conflict, expressed deep concern about sending a new generation of US soldiers into a war with no clear strategic benefit.
“As a veteran and a Gold Star husband, I cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people nor justifies the cost of American lives,” he wrote.
Kent said tarly in Trump's administration, high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined the president's America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran.
"This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the US, 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. We cannot make this mistake again."
The resignation comes amid escalating hostilities in the Middle East where the US and Israel on February 28 launched unprovoked strikes on Tehran, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and hitting an elementary school in which more than 165 girls aged between 7 and 12 were killed.
The US also sunk Iranian frigate Iris Dena in international waters allegedly with full knowledge that it was an armed and returning from parade in India.
At least 103 people were killed in the tragedy in which the US is accused of abandonign survivors to drown. At least 30 were saved by Sri Lanka navy.
Analysts warn that the war in Iran could destabilise regional security and exacerbate existing humanitarian crises across the Middle East.
Kent’s statement also criticised the current administration’s shift from its previously cautious foreign policy. He praised the approach of the former administration in eliminating ISIS and targeted terrorist threats like Qasem Soleimani without becoming entangled in protracted wars, suggesting that the current strategy is a dangerous departure.
Kent’s resignation may signal growing dissent within the US intelligence and defense communities over the direction of the war in Iran.
His call for reflection and a change in course could pressure policymakers to reassess the campaign, particularly in light of mounting international scrutiny and domestic debate over American interventionism.
Kent concluded his message with a plea for responsible leadership: “You can reverse course and chart a new path for our nation, or you can allow us to slip further toward decline and chaos. You hold the cards.”
