Director of US Counterterrorism Center Resigns, Cannot Support Iraq War Against His Conscience

On the 17th, the director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, Kent, announced his resignation and said in a letter to US President Trump that he could not, in good conscience, support the war against Iran.

Kent posted an open letter to Trump on social media, in which he wrote: "I have decided to resign as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective immediately. I cannot, in good conscience, support the ongoing war with Iran. Iran does not pose an imminent threat to our country, and it is clear that this war was launched due to pressure from Israel and its powerful lobbying group in the US."

He accused "senior Israeli officials and influential figures in the US media" of launching a "disinformation campaign" to fuel a "war-mongering atmosphere in favor of war."

He said: "This echo chamber is being used to deceive you, to make you believe that Iran poses an imminent threat to the US, and that if you launch a strike now, you can quickly achieve victory. The Israelis used the same lies to drag us into the disastrous Iraq war, which took the lives of thousands of our nation’s best men and women."

Kent was a former special forces soldier and is the first senior official in the Trump administration to resign in opposition to this conflict.

The US National Counterterrorism Center is subordinate to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Its main tasks are to collect and analyze counterterrorism intelligence and help the government formulate counterterrorism plans.

Trump: Leaving Is a Good Thing

US President Trump said that Kent was very weak on security issues, and his departure is a good thing.

He told the media in the Oval Office: "I've always felt he was weak on security issues, very weak."

He said that after seeing Kent’s resignation statement, “I realized his departure is a good thing.”