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| Joe Kent is a long-time Trump supporter and decorated veteran of the US military (Image: Getty Images) |
The top counterterrorism official in the Trump administration has resigned, citing his opposition to the Iran war and urging the president to "reverse course." Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent wrote on his X account on Tuesday that the Trump administration "started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby" and that Iran posed "no imminent threat" to the United States. Kent, 45, is a veteran of the CIA and US special forces. In 2019, his wife, navy cryptologic technician Shannon Kent, died in a suicide bombing in Syria. The White House has been contacted by the BBC for comment regarding Kent's resignation.
Kent becomes the most well-known member of the Trump administration to publicly criticize the US-Israeli operation in Iran with his departure. "Had understood that the wars in the Middle East that robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation," Kent wrote in the letter. Kent had previously supported Trump's foreign policy platform. Kent also said that "high-ranking Israeli officials" and powerful journalists in the United States had spread "misinformation" that made Trump back down on his "America First" platform. "This echo was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posted an imminent threat to the United States," the letter continued. "This was a deception." Kent, a long-time supporter of Trump's who unsuccessfully ran for Congress twice, was narrowly confirmed to his post in July last year, with many Democrats criticising his links to extremist groups including members of the Proud Boys.
Read More: What Iranians are being told about the war
Kent also refused to back down from claims that federal agents were behind the riots on January 6 at the US Capitol or that Trump had won the 2020 election during the confirmation hearing. At the National Counterterrorism Center, he reported to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and oversaw the analysis and detection of potential terrorist threats from around the globe.
Kent had previously served in the US military on 11 overseas deployments, including one with the US Army's special forces in Iraq. He later became a paramilitary officer at the CIA, before leaving government service after his wife's death.
"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," Kent wrote in his letter, citing his military service and her death.
Source: BBC
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