WASHINGTON, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Joe Kent, director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, announced on social media Tuesday that he has decided to resign from his position, noting that he "cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran."
"Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby," Kent wrote in a post on X.
In his letter to President Donald Trump, Kent said that early in this administration, high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media "deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran."
Kent said that he cannot support sending the next generation off to "fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people nor justifies the cost of American lives."
Since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, at least 13 American service members have been killed. Ten others have been seriously wounded and about 200 injured, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal on Friday. ■