Joe Kent resigns as US National Counterterrorism Center director

2026-03-17 - 17:13

Joe Kent, the director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, which advises both the US president and the director of national intelligence on terror threats, resigned over the ongoing war with Iran. In a resignation letter posted on X, Kent said he could not “in good conscience” support the conflict, asserting that “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation” and that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its American lobby. He criticized past US involvement in Middle Eastern wars, noting they had “robbed America of the previous lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.” Kent’s use of the term “imminent threat” is legally significant, as it is a requirement under US law for presidents to launch military attacks without congressional approval and is also relevant under international law when attacking sovereign nations, reports Al-Jazeera. The resignation marks the most high-profile departure from the Trump administration since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28. President Trump dismissed Kent’s resignation, calling him “weak on security” and insisting that Iran was indeed a threat. Kent had previously been nominated by Trump to lead the National Counterterrorism Center after Trump endorsed his unsuccessful congressional campaign.