A top Trump administration official has publicly resigned in protest over the war with Iran, citing concerns over the role of the Israel lobby in dragging the US into the escalating regional conflict.
Combat veteran Joe Kent, Director of the National Counterterrorism Centre and a prominent public backer of Trump in previous election campaigns, made his resignation public on Tuesday via X in a post which set out his objections to the war and his disappointment with the president’s large-scale military intervention in Iran.
“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”, Kent said in his open letter of resignation.
After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today.
I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this… pic.twitter.com/prtu86DpEr
— Joe Kent (@joekent16jan19) March 17, 2026
Mr Kent also emphasised his support for Trump’s stated positions on domestic and foreign policy in his 2016, 2020 and 2024 election campaigns, writing: “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.”
“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 sentiments to encourage 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.”
Prior to becoming the Trump administration’s top counterterrorism official, Mr Kent served 20 years in the military including as a US Army Green Beret, undergoing 11 combat deployments since enlisting at age 17.
Mr Kent’s wife Shannon Kent also served in the US Navy, and was killed in 2019 as a result of enemy action while forward deployed in Syria, and he added in his letter: “As a veteran [and] 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”.
In the 24 hours since Kent’s announcement, the post containing his letter of resignation has received over 700,000 likes, amid increasingly widespread backlash against the war from previously MAGA-aligned populist figures.
They are going to lie about Joe Kent and try to discredit him. Do not believe the lies! Joe Kent is a great American hero deployed 11 times and a Gold Star Husband!
He’s right! https://t.co/bkePMlCitp— Marjorie Taylor Greene
(@mtgreenee) March 17, 2026
Those openly endorsing Mr Kent’s stance against the Iran war include political commentator Tucker Carlson, recently retired Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican congressman Thomas Massie and Republican senator Rand Paul.
Ms Greene affirmed her support for Mr Kent on X, calling him a “great American hero”, following up on a series of statements over previous days asserting that former supporters of Trump’s presidency “must stop foreign interference in our government and fight it”, and that “‘Make America Great Again’ was supposed to be America first, not Israel first.”
Carlson praised Kent in an interview with The Hill, remarking that “Joe is the bravest man I know, and he can’t be dismissed as a nut … He’s leaving a job that gave him access to highest-level relevant intelligence. The neocons will now try to destroy him for that.”
The statements of Mr Kent implicating Israel in the outbreak of war echo the now-retracted statement of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirming Israel’s leading role in initiating the conflict.
“We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action, we knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t pre-emptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties”, Rubio said on March 2, before walking back the statement a day later following widespread criticism.
Other anti-war populists and former Trump supporters who have criticised the war include former Fox News and NBC host Megyn Kelly, who said on her show: “It is clearly Israel’s war … They are the ones who’ve been pushing us into it.”
Carlson made similar comments, stating: “This happened because Israel wanted it to happen. This is Israel’s war. This is not the United States’ war.”
The US has not launched ground operations in Iran, but Iranian strikes have already resulted in 13 dead US servicemen and over 200 wounded, according to US CENTCOM briefings, Time Magazine reported.
The rapidly escalating war has now spilled over into a number of neutral and US-aligned regional states, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, with crude oil prices rising over 40% since the war began on February 28, and oil prices expected to rise further as the strategically important Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to international shipping.
Representatives of both the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal-National Coalition have endorsed Australian deployment of military assets to the region, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong stating last week: “The government has made the decision to take defensive action to support our partners’ efforts … deploying an E-7A Wedgetail to the Gulf and providing advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles to the UAE.”
In the same speech, Ms Wong spoke with enthusiasm about the prospect of accepting Iranian refugees and celebrating the decision of some members of Iranian women’s to seek asylum in Australia.
“Australia continues to stand with the brave people of Iran”, Ms Wong said.
Opposition leader Angus Taylor also said he welcomed the prospect of Australia taking Iranian refugees, while several members of the Coalition have endorsed Australia’s deployment of military assets.
Liberal senator James Paterson spoke out in support of the US-Israeli campaign, claiming the Iranian government for “anti-Semitism”.
“The coalition is unambiguous in its support for the actions taken by our friends and allies the United States and Israel against the Iranian regime,” he said.
A Resolve Monitor Poll conducted last week found that 61% of Australians want to stay out of the conflict entirely, with just 13% wanting the country to be involved. 28% support the US-Israeli attack, and 24% want Australia to offer military support.
Header image: Left, Joe Kent’s official portrait as Director of the National Counterterrorism Centre. Right, with his wife Shannon, who was killed in action (Instagram).
The post Trump’s counter-terror chief resigns over Iran war: ‘Cannot support’ first appeared on The Noticer.
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