Iran US Trump Resignation

FILE - Joseph Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appear before the House Committee on Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 11, 2025.

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Top counterterrorism official Kent resigns over Trump's Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threat

Top counterterrorism official Kent resigns over Trump's Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threat

President Donald Trump is pushing back against claims by the director of the National Counterterrorism Center about the motivations for the Iran war. In announcing his resignation Tuesday, Joe Kent claimed Iran “posed no imminent threat" to the United States. Trump says Iran is a “tremendous threat." Kent also says it's clear the U.S. started the war “due to pressure from Israel.” The Republican president previously has denied Israel forced the U.S. to act. Kent is a former Washington state political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists. As head of the National Counterterrorism Center, Kent was in charge of an agency tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats.