US Counterterrorism Chief Resigns Over Iran War — “Cannot Support It in Good Conscience”

Washington | March 18, 2026
The director of the US National Counterterrorism Center , which advises both President Donald Trump and the Director of National Intelligence on terrorism threats, has resigned in protest over the ongoing war with Iran. 
Joe Kent, in his resignation letter posted on X, stated he “cannot in good conscience” support the war and declared that it was launched under external pressure rather than genuine national security necessity. 
Kent wrote: “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.”
He also reminded President Trump of his earlier stance, writing that until mid-2025, Trump himself “understood that 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.” 
Kent is the highest-ranking Trump administration official to resign over the Iran war. 
A 45-year-old Army veteran and former CIA paramilitary officer, Kent completed 11 deployments to the Middle East over two decades. His first wife, US Navy officer Shannon Kent, was killed by a suicide bomber in Syria in 2019. 
Responding to reporters in the Oval Office, President Trump said he always thought Kent was “weak on security,” adding: “Iran was a tremendous threat” and that officials who disagreed “are not smart people.” 
The resignation comes amid heightened domestic terrorism concerns, and as senior intelligence officials are scheduled to testify before Congress this week about threats facing the United States.