Trump’s top counterintelligence official quits in protest over Iran as he issues blistering statement claiming Israel dragged U.S. into war | 17 March 2026 | Donald Trump’s top counterterrorism official has resigned in protest over the Iran war, accusing Israel of pressuring the U.S. into a conflict he says was built on lies. Joseph Kent, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said Iran posed no imminent threat and the war was started “due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” adding: “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war.” Kent, who served under Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, accused the President of reneging on the non-interventionist principles he campaigned on. Kent, who deployed to combat 11 times and lost his wife Shannon in what he calls a war manufactured by Israel, is closely aligned with the populist “America First” wing of the Trump administration, including Gabbard and Vice President JD Vance, who have both warned against new Middle East entanglements.