US counterterror chief resigns over Iran war

Joseph Kent has stepped down as head of the US National Counterterrorism Center, becoming the first senior member of President Donald Trump’s administration to resign over the war with Iran.

In a letter posted on the X network, Kent wrote that he ‘cannot in good conscience support’ the conflict because Iran, in his view, did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the United States had started the war ‘due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby’.

His resignation highlights internal tensions within both the Trump administration and the US intelligence community. News of his departure also caught several intelligence officials by surprise, according to media reports. Neither the White House nor the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, led by Tulsi Gabbard, had any immediate comment.

Kent was a close ally of Gabbard, who has made only limited public appearances since the start of the war with Iran.

Reuters notes that some experts consider the existence of an imminent threat an important legal requirement for starting a war under current US law.

(reuters, lud)