WASHINGTON — In the first major rupture within President Trump’s administration over the war on Iran, National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent resigned from his post Tuesday, declaring that he could no longer support the conflict and accusing Israel of misleading the United States into war.

Joe Kent becomes the first senior official to step down over the war, citing moral objections and warning that the conflict serves Israeli interests rather than U.S. priorities.

“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote in a resignation letter addressed to Trump and published on his account on the social media platform X. “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.

“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 sentiment 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 a 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.”

A personal and moral stand

Kent framed his resignation as both a political and deeply personal decision:

“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.”

A decorated U.S. Army veteran who served in the Green Berets and later worked with the CIA, Kent emphasized the human cost of prolonged military conflict.

A direct challenge to Trump

Kent’s resignation marks the first significant internal dissent from within Trump’s national security apparatus since the start of the war.

In his letter, he reminded the president of the core principles that defined his political rise — particularly opposition to prolonged foreign wars and commitment to the “America First” agenda.

He also praised Trump’s first-term approach to military engagement, noting that the president had previously demonstrated how to use force decisively without becoming entangled in long-term conflicts, citing the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and the defeat of ISIS.

Part of a broader MAGA backlash

Kent’s resignation reflects growing unease within the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement — a core pillar of Trump’s political base — which has increasingly voiced opposition to the war.

Prominent conservative figures, including former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and media personalities Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and Megyn Kelly, have publicly criticized the conflict, arguing that it contradicts Trump’s longstanding “America First” platform.

Many have called on administration officials aligned with the movement to resign rather than support what they describe as a war driven by Israeli interests.

Kent’s departure is widely seen as the first high-level response to those calls.

Trump’s position

Despite mounting criticism, Trump has continued to avoid describing the conflict as a formal war, instead referring to it as “large-scale military operations” — a characterization that sidesteps the need for congressional authorization.

The president has repeatedly suggested that the campaign will be limited in duration, indicating that operations in Iran may last only a matter of weeks.

However, Kent’s resignation — and the broader political backlash — suggest that internal divisions could deepen if the conflict drags on or expands further.

Who is Joe Kent?

Before joining the Trump administration, Kent ran unsuccessfully for Congress in Washington State as a candidate aligned with the MAGA movement.

He previously served in the U.S. Army’s Special Forces (Green Berets), participating in 11 combat deployments, and later worked as an officer with the Central Intelligence Agency.

He was confirmed as director of the National Counterterrorism Center last summer by a 52–44 vote in the U.S. Senate.