March 18, 2026

Top US counterterrorism chief Joe Kent resigns over Trump’s war in Iran

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Top US counterterrorism chief Joe Kent resigns over Trump’s war in Iran

Read for 3 minutes Updated: March 17, 2026, 09:15 PM IST

Joseph Kent, the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned on Tuesday, becoming the first and highest-ranking official in the Trump administration to resign during the ongoing war in Iran.

In his resignation letter shared on Twitter, Kent said he could not support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an immediate threat to the United States. He also asserted that Israel and its powerful lobby initiated the war.

Legal experts have pointed out that under current laws, the US would need to establish an imminent threat before joining the war. The White House and the office of the director of national intelligence did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The sudden resignation reportedly caught intelligence officials off guard. Kent is considered close to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who has maintained a low profile since the conflict began.

Trump’s Iran war: discontent from within

profile

Joe Kent – NCTC Director

Joe Kent served as head of the National Counterterrorism Center, the agency tasked with analysing and detecting terrorist threats. He was appointed to this post on the basis of 52-44 votes. Before joining Trump’s administration, he ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in Washington state.

11

Military deployment as a Green Beret

52-44

Senate confirmation vote

2

Unsuccessful congressional campaign in Washington state

controversies

Punjab

Proud Boys member paid for consulting

During his 2022 congressional campaign, Kent paid far-right Proud Boys member Graham Jorgensen for consulting work and teamed up with Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson.

J6

Refused to refute January 6 conspiracy

At his Senate confirmation hearing, Kent refused to distance himself from claims that federal agents instigated the January 6 Capitol attack or that Trump won the 2020 election.

resign

Kent says he cannot support the war “in good conscience”

Kent announced his resignation on Tuesday, citing deep concerns about the justification of US military strikes in Iran. He publicly stated that Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States and attributed the start of the war directly to Israeli pressure and its American lobby.

“Iran poses no imminent threat to our country, and it is clear that we started this war because of pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”

– Joe Kent, resignation statement

speaker framing

Johnson: Israel was going to act alone

House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested that the White House believed Israel was determined to attack Iran independently, giving Trump a “very difficult decision” – effectively obliging the US to join the attacks.

then vs now

Gabbard once called the Iran war a disaster. Now he is silent.

Tulsi Gabbard, now director of national intelligence under Trump, has not posted about Iran on social media since the attacks began last month. Her office declined to say whether she supported him.

“An all-out war with Iran would render the wars we have witnessed in Iraq and Afghanistan insignificant.” It would be far more costly in lives, American lives, and American taxpayer dollars – and to accomplish what goal?”

– Tulsi Gabbard, six years ago

what’s coming

▶

Testimony to take place this week

Gabbard is scheduled to testify before lawmakers along with CIA Director Ratcliffe and FBI Director Patel at the annual threats hearing, which is now under fire from questions about the Iran war.

165+

School strike likely to impact hearing

Old US intelligence is believed to have led to a missile attack on an Iranian elementary school, killing more than 165 people. It is expected that lawmakers will put direct pressure on Gabbard on this issue.

Importance

Disagreement is coming from Trump’s own side

Kent’s resignation doesn’t come from any Democrat or centrist — it comes from deep military-intelligence evidence and a Republican Senate-confirmed figure with ties to the MAGA base. His public break signals that unease about the Iran war extends right to Trump’s coalition.

unlikely alignment

Kent and Warner agree: no imminent danger existed

Senator Mark Warner—the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee and a long-time Kent critic— validated the origins of Kent’s resignation, saying there was no credible evidence of an imminent Iranian threat to justify the attacks. Both the left and right sides are in agreement.

Source: Associated Press US Senate confirmation record

Resignation signals unease within Trump’s base

Kent, who was confirmed by a 52-44 vote last July, was the head of the agency responsible for analysing terrorist threats. His resignation highlights growing unease within Trump’s administration about the logic behind the war.

This step has been taken amid growing domestic security concerns

The leadership change comes at a time when concerns over terrorism in the US have increased following recent attacks at a Michigan synagogue and the University of Virginia.

Trump offered to change stance

Trump has offered varying explanations for the attacks and rejected claims that Israel pushed the US into action. House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested that the administration’s belief that Israel could act independently would leave Trump with a “very difficult decision”.

No immediate response from White House or DNI office

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and a White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about Kent’s resignation.

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Democrats opposed Kent, but supported his Iran stance

Democrats had previously opposed Kent’s confirmation over alleged ties to the far right. However, after his resignation, Senator Mark Warner said Kent was right on Iran, saying there was no credible evidence of an imminent threat.

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