Top US official resigns, slams Trump for conducting ‘Israel-first’ war and bending to Jewish lobby

“It is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” Kent wrote.

By World Israel News Staff

The director of the National Counterterrorism Center has resigned, citing opposition to the ongoing war with Iran and accusing pro-Israel pressure in Washington of pushing the United States into the conflict.

In a resignation letter addressed to President Donald Trump, Joe Kent, who has led the center since 2025, said he could no longer support the administration’s policy toward Iran.

“After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today,” Kent wrote in the letter. “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran.”

In the letter, Kent argued that Tehran had not posed an immediate threat to the United States and suggested the war was the result of political pressure rather than a clear national security necessity.

“Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation,” he wrote. “It is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”

Kent framed his decision as a defense of the foreign policy approach he said Trump had previously championed.

“I support the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on in 2016, 2020, 2024, which you enacted in your first term,” he 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 and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.”

He praised Trump’s earlier use of force while avoiding what he described as prolonged regional conflicts.

“In your first administration, you understood better than any modern president how to decisively apply military power without getting us drawn into never-ending wars,” Kent wrote, citing the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and the defeat of ISIS as examples.

The letter also includes sharp accusations that senior Israeli officials and elements of the American media pushed the United States toward confrontation with Tehran.

“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 a war with Iran,” Kent wrote.

He added that the campaign had convinced the administration that Iran posed an imminent threat and promised a quick military victory.

“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,” he wrote. “This was a lie.”

Kent warned that the situation risked repeating mistakes made in previous U.S. conflicts in the Middle East.

“This 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,” he wrote. “We cannot make this mistake again.”

Kent also referenced his own military service and personal loss, describing his opposition to the war as rooted in his experience.

“As a veteran who deployed to combat 11 times and as a Gold Star 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 nor justifies the cost of American lives,” he wrote.

In the final portion of the letter, Kent urged Trump to reconsider the course of the war.

“I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for,” he wrote. “The time for bold action is now. You can 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.”

Kent concluded by thanking the president for the opportunity to serve.

“It was an honor to serve in your administration and to serve our great nation,” he wrote.

Trump responded to the resignation by sharply criticizing Kent and rejecting his assessment of the Iranian threat.

“I always thought he was a nice guy but very weak on security,” Trump said. “I didn’t know him well, but I thought he was a nice man. It’s good that he stepped down.”

Trump also pushed back on Kent’s claim that Iran was not a threat.

“He said Iran is not a threat, but Iran was a threat to all countries,” Trump said.

The resignation comes as the United States and Israel continue an expanding military campaign against Iranian military infrastructure and leadership following the opening strikes of the conflict earlier this month.