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Now entering its third week, the U.S. military operation against Iran has prompted intense debate among global strategic analysts over whether the campaign — described by President Donald Trump as an "Operation Epic Fury" — can achieve a satisfactory conclusion. Against that backdrop, Joseph Kent, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), submitted a resignation letter on March 17, stating: "After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the NCTC, effective today.I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran."
Kent stated directly that"Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation," and directed his criticism at Israel,accusing the U.S. government of having been misled and deceived by Israel and its lobbying groups into launching the war. This marks the first time a senior national security official has resigned in opposition to the Iran war from within the Trump administration. Trump's response was blunt: "It's a good thing that he is out, because he said that Iran was not a threat."
The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) was established as a product of the sweeping intelligence reforms that followed the September 11 attacks. It operates directly under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and is responsible for coordinating whole-of-government counterterrorism intelligence efforts. In his resignation letter, NCTC Director Kent leveled serious accusations, alleging that senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media had jointly conducted a "disinformation campaign" against the Trump administration. Kent wrote explicitly that this"echo chamber" had undermined Trump's "America First" platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran.
What Is the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)?
The NCTC evolved from the Terrorist Threat Integration Center (TTIC), established in May 2003 under President George W. Bush, who directed the FBI, CIA, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Defense to jointly build an agency capable of consolidating all terrorism threat intelligence — preventing a recurrence of the intelligence that existed before 9/11. The NCTC was formally established by executive order in August 2004.
Under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA), the NCTC's mandate includes analyzing terrorism threats, sharing intelligence, maintaining databases of known and suspected terrorists, and coordinating strategic operational planning across agencies. The same legislation established the legal basis for the Director of National Intelligence. The NCTC operates independently of both the CIA and FBI, reporting directly to the DNI. Its director is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, and simultaneously serves as the National Intelligence Manager for Counterterrorism (NIM-CT), leading the intelligence community's counterterrorism mission.
In his resignation letter, Kent addressed Trump directly, arguing that Israel-linked interests had deceived the president into believing Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States and that a swift military victory was attainable. Kent wrote: "This is a lie, and it is the same tactic the Israelis used to drag us into the disastrous Iraq War that cost our nation the lives of thousands of our best men and women. We cannot make this mistake again."
After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today.
— Joe Kent (@joekent16jan19)March 17, 2026
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…pic.twitter.com/prtu86DpEr
Full Text of Kent's Resignation Letter
President Trump:
After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today.
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.
I support the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on in 2016, 2020, 2024, which you enacted in your first term. 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.
In your fist administration, you understood better than any modern President how to decisively apply military power without geting us drawn into never-ending wars. You demonsiratd this by killing Qasam Solamani and by defeating ISIS.
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.
This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, and that should you strike now, there was clear path to a swift victory.
This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war that cost our nation the lives of thousands of our best men and women. We cannot make this mistake again.
As a veteran who deployed to combat 11 times and as a Gold Star husband who lost my beloved wife Shannon in a war manufactured by Israel, I 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.
I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for. The time for bold action is now. You can reverse course and chart a new path for our nation, or you can allow us to slip further toward decline and chaos. You hold the cards.
It was an honor to serve in your administration and to serve our great nation.
Joseph Kent
Director, National Counterterrorrism Center
Citing analysis from multiple experts, Reuters has reported that under international laws of war, the United States must establish the existence of an "imminent threat" to legally justify initiating armed conflict. Kent's resignation letter suggests that no such consensus exists within the U.S. intelligence community.
Did Iran Actually Pose an Imminent Threat?
Reuters has previously reported that the National Intelligence Council (NIC), which operates under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, issued multiple assessment reports before and after the commencement of U.S. military strikes — reports that, according to Reuters, strongly highlighted the risks of U.S. intervention. Those assessments concluded that the Iranian government was unlikely to collapse as a result of the strikes, and that Iran would in all probability retaliate against U.S. forward positions in the region and against Gulf allies. （Related： Opinion | US-Iran Conflict Proves Globalization and Fossil Fuels are Here to Stay ｜ Latest ）
The White House has responded forcefully to the dissent emerging from the intelligence community. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described Kent's resignation letter as containing "false claims," adding: "As President Trump has made clear and unequivocally stated, he hadstrong and compelling evidence that Iran was going to attack the United States first." As of publication, Kent has not publicly responded to the White House's statement. The ODNI, which oversees the NCTC, has also remained silent.
Who Is Kent?
Joseph Clay Kent, who was born on April 11, 1980, joined the U.S. Army at age 18 and served for twenty years, completing eleven combat deployments with a specialization in counterterrorism and irregular warfare. He served with the 75th Ranger Regiment, the Army Special Forces (Green Berets), and U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), receiving six Bronze Star Medals among numerous other commendations. He developed deep expertise in Islamist terrorism and narco-trafficking threats.
After leaving military service, Kent transitioned to a role as a CIA paramilitary officer, becoming deeply involved in intelligence operations. His wife, Shannon Kent, was a Navy cryptologic and intelligence specialist who was killed at age 35 in a suicide bombing in Manbij, Syria, in 2019 — making Kent a Gold Star husband.
In the 2024 election cycle, Kent ran unsuccessfully as a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington State before moving into the federal security sector. In February 2025, Trump nominated him as NCTC Director, and in the same month he served as chief of staff to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard — two officials who share closely aligned political views and a shared opposition to open-ended U.S. military interventionism.
On July 30, 2025, the Senate confirmed Kent by a vote of 52 to 44. Gabbard praised him as someone who "puts the nation first and has endured enormous personal sacrifice." Kent pledged to reinvigorate counterterrorism and counter-narcotics operations, integrate federal, state, and local capabilities, and execute Trump's border security agenda. Upon taking office, Kent described it as an "honor," vowing to honor the sacrifices of his late wife and fellow service members by keeping Americans safe.
Fractures Emerge Within the Trump Administration
A U.S. official told Reuters that Kent's resignation nonetheless came as a "surprise," noting that those who know Kent are well aware that he has long been a committed adherent of the "America First" philosophy and a strong opponent of overseas military intervention. Reuters also noted that Kent had a close working relationship with current Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Since the outbreak of the Iran war, Gabbard has maintained an extraordinarily low public profile, issuing no public statements. Her only visible public appearance has been at a dignified transfer ceremony honoring U.S. service members killed in the conflict. （Related： Opinion | US-Iran Conflict Proves Globalization and Fossil Fuels are Here to Stay ｜ Latest ）
Gabbard's silence, combined with the prior warning assessments issued by the National Intelligence Council, points to what analysts describe as an irreconcilable policy divide at the highest levels of the Trump administration's intelligence apparatus regarding the White House-directed war in Iran. It is worth noting, however, that Kent himself was previously drawn into controversy when he reportedly pressured analysts to rewrite intelligence assessments related to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua — assessments the White House had used to characterize the group as a national security threat and to justify immigration enforcement actions, despite intelligence analysts' conclusions that did not support the claim that the gang was directed by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The Death of a Beloved Wife: The Unending Grief of a Gold Star Husband
In his resignation letter, Kent identified himself as a "Gold Star husband" — an American military tradition referring to a man whose spouse was killed in military service — and stated that he could not support sending the next generation to fight a war that offers no benefit to the American people. He also invoked the memory of his late wife, Navy Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent.
In the letter,Kent attributed his wife's death to an "Israel-manufactured war," even though Shannon was killed in Syria by ISIS. He appears to hold Israel responsible for the broader arc of Middle East counterterrorism warfare — viewing it, from his perspective, as a chain of consequences stemming from Washington's entanglement in the region's conflicts. （Related： Opinion | US-Iran Conflict Proves Globalization and Fossil Fuels are Here to Stay ｜ Latest ）
Kent praised Trump in the letter, writing: "In your fist administration, you understood better than any modern President how to decisively apply military power without geting us drawn into never-ending wars." He also credited Trump's first-term record — including the killing of Qasem Soleimani and the defeat of ISIS — adding: "Until June of 2025, you understood that the wars in the Middle East were a trap."In the letter's closing passage, Kent implored Trump to reverse course and forge a new path for America, warning that otherwise the nation would slide further into decline and chaos.
What Is a Gold Star Husband?
The term "Gold Star husband" is a designation within American military tradition for a man whose spouse was killed or died in military service. It originates from the practice, dating to World War I, of families displaying blue-star service flags. During the First World War, American military families hung "Service Flags" in their windows, with each blue star representing a direct family member serving in the armed forces — a symbol of their service to the nation. When a service member was killed in action, the blue star was covered with a gold star, signaling to the community that a family had made the ultimate sacrifice.
The tradition was promoted by the American Service Flag Association in 1918, tracing its origins to a Chicago mother, Grace D. Seibold, who created a gold star flag after her son George was killed in combat. The practice became widespread during World War II. After the war, Congress passed legislation in 1942 authorizing the official specifications for the Gold Star Flag. The Department of Defense issues Gold Star Lapel Buttons — featuring a gold star on a purple background — to Gold Star family members, including surviving spouses, parents, children, and siblings of those who died in service.
In 2010, the Senate passed a resolution establishing Gold Star Spouses' Day on April 5 each year. In 2012, President Barack Obama proclaimed it a national day of recognition. Benefits available to Gold Star family members include lifetime healthcare, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) — starting at approximately $1,600 per month, adjusted by rank and years of service — educational assistance, and access to cross-branch bereavement support groups, as well as financial and legal aid.
Kent's Resignation Sends Ripples Through Washington
The Wall Street Journal has reported that White House staff did not anticipate Kent would resign by making his letter public, effectively exposing the administration's internal divisions to the world. Senior Trump advisers moved quickly to criticize Kent, seeking to minimize his influence and send an implicit message to other government officials that publicly questioning the war would not be tolerated. Nevertheless, Kent's resignation letter had been viewed more than 75 million times as of publication — adding to what sources describe as a deepening sense of frustration for Trump, who has been in a persistently low mood. （Related： Opinion | US-Iran Conflict Proves Globalization and Fossil Fuels are Here to Stay ｜ Latest ）
According to people familiar with the matter, Trump has repeatedly expressed anger in recent weeks over media coverage of the Iran war, while also complaining that U.S. allies have not provided sufficient assistance and that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to safe oil transit. Trump has been closely monitoring rising oil prices. Some of the president's advisers, according to these people, hope the war will conclude within the coming weeks. Beyond Kent, Trump's artificial intelligence adviser David Sacks has publicly stated on a podcast: "It doesn't take a political genius to understand that long wars are unpopular," and "declare victory and get out (of Iran)."
A number of Republican lawmakers have also urged Trump to withdraw from Iran. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said: "I wish that the president would figure out a way to end the war. I think it's becoming more challenging every day how you do that" Republican Senator Rand Paul, who opposed the strike on Iran from the outset, praised Kent, saying: "I know he was America First from the very beginning, and still is." Conservative media personality Tucker Carlson , a staunch Trump supporter, has nonetheless consistently maintained a non-interventionist position.
Supporters of Israel, however, were sharply critical of Kent's resignation letter. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell described the letter as filled with "anti-Semitism." Trump himself also criticized Kent, telling reporters in the Oval Office: "I always thought he was a good man, but very weak on security" and "When I read his statement, I realized It's a good thing that he is out, because he said that Iran was not a threat." Gabbard quickly issued a statement rebutting Kent's assertion that Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States: "As our Commander in Chief, he is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat, and whether or not to take action he deems necessary to protect the safety and security of our troops, the American people and our country."
Gabbard's statement, however, did not mention Kent by name, nor did it offer any account of her own views on the war.
