Counterterrorism Director Joe Kent resigns over Iran war

March 17 (UPI) -- U.S. national counterterrorism director Joe Kent resigned Tuesday in protest of the war with Iran.

"I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran," Kent posted on X. "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, who has promoted far-right conspiracy theories, and the Senate narrowly confirmed his appointment in July. He previously worked as Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's chief of staff.

The National Counterterrorism Center, which leads counterterrorism and counternarcotics efforts and advises the president, is under Gabbard's management. She has spoken out against war with Iran in the past, but has stayed silent since the invasion.

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In his post on X, he shared a letter to President Donald Trump in which he said that he supports "the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on in 2016, 2020" and 2024, but he doesn't agree with the decision to attack Iran.

"I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran and who we are doing it for. 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," he wrote.

Kent was a Green Beret in the Army for 20 years and was awarded six bronze stars. He was later a paramilitary officer for the CIA, The Hill reported.

"I didn't support Kent's nomination. Yet I'm glad he is willing to acknowledge the truth -- there was NO imminent threat to the United States, and this war was a terrible idea," Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said of Kent's resignation on X. "Even Trump's greatest MAGA advocates can see this war is stupid, costly and deadly. When will Trump?"

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said on X: "Good riddance. Iran has murdered more than a thousand Americans. Their EFP land mines were the deadliest in Iraq. Anti-Semitism is an evil I detest, and we surely don't want it in our government."

Gabbard is scheduled to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee's annual worldwide threats assessment hearing Wednesday.

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President Donald Trump meets with Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday. They will both attend a Friends of Ireland luncheon on Capitol Hill for St. Patrick's Day. Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI | License Photo