Top US counter-terrorism official quits over war on Iran, says ‘no imminent threat’
- Created by AVDelta News Reporter
- Top News
Joseph Kent resigns as head of the National Counterterrorism Center, warning the conflict was not driven by an immediate danger to the United States.
A senior United States counter-terrorism official has resigned in protest over the ongoing war involving Iran, exposing rare dissent within Washington’s security leadership.
Joseph Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he could not continue in his post while the United States was at war with Iran.
In his resignation letter posted on the social media platform X, Kent wrote:
“Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation,” adding that he “could not in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran.”
He also said the conflict appeared to have been driven “due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” suggesting a divergence between his threat assessment and the administration’s reasoning.
Kent’s departure makes him the most senior US official to quit over the Iran war so far, and signals unusual public disagreement within the US national security establishment.
His role at the NCTC involved coordinating intelligence assessments across agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Analysts say his resignation could intensify debates about how threat intelligence is being interpreted and used.
No official US government rebuttal yet
As of this report, the White House has not issued a public response to Kent’s resignation or the claims in his letter.
Officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have also not publicly commented on the matter.
The absence of a response has left a gap that commentators and political rivals are already filling with speculation and criticism across social and traditional media.
Some national security analysts told media outlets that such a public break reveals internal disagreements over the justification for the Iran war, particularly on whether there was sufficient evidence of an imminent threat.
Kent’s resignation comes amid other global and regional pressures, as the war continues to escalate with allied forces engaged in operations across multiple fronts.
To advertise with us, send an email to advert@avdeltanews.world