Joe Kent, who resigned as President Donald Trump’s counterterrorism chief in protest of the Iran war, has blamed Israel for the conflict and stated that Iran was not close to developing a nuclear weapon. In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Kent said Israel drove the decision to strike Iran, knowing it would provoke retaliation.
Kent, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, dismissed claims that Iran was on the verge of a nuclear bomb, noting a fatwa since 2004 prohibiting such weapons. He said US intelligence showed no evidence the fatwa was being disobeyed.
Kent resigned on Tuesday, calling the war a disaster and accusing Israel and its American lobby of pressuring the US into conflict. He said Iran posed no imminent threat and that Trump was duped into backing the war, which he compared to the Iraq war.
The White House dismissed Kent’s departure, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt calling it ‘laughable’ and saying he was not involved in operational discussions. Vice President JD Vance expressed support for Kent but said policy disagreements should be set aside once the president decides.
The war, launched jointly by the US and Israel on February 28, has caused significant casualties, including at least 1,200 Iranian civilians and 13 US service members killed. It has disrupted oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing prices above $100 a barrel.
