US counterterrorism chief resigns over Iran war, White House rejects claims

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - WASHINGTON — The director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, Joseph Kent, resigned Tuesday, citing his opposition to the ongoing U.S. war in Iran.

“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote in a letter posted on X, arguing that Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States and that the conflict was initiated under external pressure.

Kent, a veteran who said he deployed to combat 11 times, also described himself as a “Gold Star husband,” noting that his wife was killed in a previous war.

“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 said.

He further criticized Israeli officials and some American media figures, accusing them of misleading the administration and drawing parallels with the Iraq war.

Addressing President Donald Trump directly, Kent urged a change in course, saying the president could “reverse course and chart a new path” or risk further instability.

The White House rejected Kent’s claims, accusing him of spreading “false” information.

Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the decision to launch a joint operation with Israel was made to reduce risks to American lives and address what she described as an imminent threat to U.S. national security.

She also dismissed Kent’s suggestion that Israel pressured the U.S. into war, calling the claim “insulting and laughable.”