Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, resigned on Tuesday in a public rebuke of the Trump administration's ongoing war with Iran — and the White House hit back within hours. Kent, a retired Green Beret and longtime supporter of President Donald Trump, posted his resignation letter directly on X, making it one of the most visible internal dissents since the conflict began. In the letter, addressed to President Trump, Kent wrote: 'I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. 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.'
The resignation drew immediate attention in Washington not just because of Kent's role, but because of who he is — the highest-profile rebuke yet of the war effort from a Trump administration insider and staunch supporter of the MAGA movement. As director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, Kent led US counterterrorism and counternarcotics efforts and was the president's principal counterterrorism adviser. Trump, when asked about the resignation during a meeting with the Irish prime minister, was dismissive: 'I always thought he was a nice guy. But I always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security.'
