US counterterrorism chief quits, says Israel ‘trapped’ Trump into joining Iran war

A senior US counterterrorism official resigned on Tuesday to protest the US-Israeli war against Iran and said the Islamic Republic posed no imminent threat to the United States.“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Joseph Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, said in his resignation letter to President Donald Trump.Iran posed no imminent threat to our nationKent – a former member of the Green Beret special forces who served 11 combat tours – said, “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 is the first senior US official to resign from the Trump administration to protest the war against Iran.“Until June of 2025, you understood that the 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 said in his letter to Trump.A US Air Force B-1 Lancer aircraft prepares to refuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft over the US Central Command area of responsibility in the Middle East on Friday. Photo: US Air Force/AFP“Early in this administration, high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran,” he said.