Top US counterterrorism official Joe Kent resigns over Iran war

He later became a paramilitary officer at the CIA, before leaving government service following his wife's death.

Kent cited his military service and his wife's death in his letter, saying 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".

At the National Counterterrorism Center, Kent reported to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and oversaw the analysis and detection of potential terrorist threats from around the globe.

Following Kent's resignation on Tuesday, Gabbard backed Trump's decision to go to war with Iran.

In a statement posted on X, she said that as commander-in-chief, the president was responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat.

She noted that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence was responsible for helping to provide the president "with the best information available to inform his decisions".

"After carefully reviewing all the information before him, President Trump concluded that the terrorist Islamist regime in Iran posed an imminent threat and he took action based on that conclusion," Gabbard wrote on X.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Kent's suggestion that "Trump made the decision based on the influence of others, even foreign countries, is both insulting and laughable".

"As President Trump has clearly and explicitly stated, he had strong and compelling evidence that Iran was going to attack the United States first," she added.

In a brief interview with the New York Times, conservative media commentator Tucker Carlson praised Kent, with whom he has close personal ties.

"Joe is the bravest man I know, and he can't be dismissed as a nut," Carlson said. "He's leaving a job that gave him access to the highest-level relevant intelligence. The neocons will try to destroy him for that."

"He understands that and did it anyway," he added.

There have been a number of resignations among senior officials in the Trump administration, including Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement director Margaret Ryan and Kennedy Center head Richard Grenell.

President Trump's second term, however, has seen far less turnover than his previous tenure at the White House between 2017-21.