Top Counterterrorism Official Resigns in Protest of Iran War (3)

March 17, 2026, 8:01 PM UTC

A top counterterrorism official and staunch MAGA Republican resigned over the war with Iran, claiming that Israel had misled President Donald Trump into believing that the regime in Tehran posed an imminent threat.

Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said he could not support “sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people.” He is the first high-profile administration official to step down in protest of the conflict.

“I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran and who we are doing ...

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