Joe Kent, a top counterterrorism official, resigns citing Iran war

NPR | By NPR Washington Desk

Published March 17, 2026 at 10:29 AM EDT

Joe Kent, when he was campaigning as a Republican congressional candidate in 2022, resigned citing his opposition to the Iran war.

The head of the National Counterterrorism Center has resigned in protest over the war with Iran. Joe Kent, an Army veteran, said he "cannot in good conscience" support the war.

He said that pressure from Israel pushed the U.S. into the conflict, and that Iran "posed no imminent threat to our nation."

He shared his resignation letter in a social media post.

Kent said he supported "the values and the foreign policy" that President Trump campaigned on.

"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 and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation," Kent wrote to Trump in the letter.

Kent's wife, Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent, died serving in Syria in 2019.

Kent called on Trump to "reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for." He said Trump could "reverse course and chart a new path for our nation, or you can allow us to slip further toward decline and chaos. You hold the cards."