Joe Kent, Trump's hand-picked Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned on March 17, 2026 — becoming the highest-ranking Trump administration official to quit over the Iran war. Kent, a former Army Green Beret with 11 combat deployments and a Gold Star husband whose wife Shannon was killed by an ISIS suicide bomber in Syria in 2019, posted his resignation letter publicly, declaring he “cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran.”
Kent directly accused the administration of starting the war under false pretenses, writing that “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.” He wrote that an “echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat,” calling it “the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war.” Kent had been nominated by Trump in February 2025 and confirmed by the Senate in July 2025 — a loyalist who had twice run for Congress with Trump's backing.
Addressing Trump directly, Kent wrote: “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.” He urged Trump to “reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for,” saying the president still held “the cards” to “reverse course and chart a new path.” Kent's resignation reflected growing unease within Trump's own base about the war, demonstrating that doubts about the conflict extended to senior members of his own administration.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there were “many false claims” in Kent's letter and wrote that Trump “had strong and compelling evidence that Iran was going to attack the United States first.” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, whose office oversaw Kent's work, said Trump “is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat.” House Speaker Mike Johnson said Kent was “clearly wrong,” telling reporters, “I got all the briefings,” and that Iran “was very close to the enrichment of nuclear capability.” The operation, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” was in its third week, with sustained air and missile exchanges across the region.
Correction (October 14, 2026): An earlier version said the White House did not immediately respond; Leavitt responded on X the same day, and her statement has been added. A quote attributed to former deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich calling Kent a “crazed egomaniac” could not be found in any source and was removed.