# National Counterterrorism Center

U.S. Counterterrorism Chief Resigns, Saying He Won’t Back a ‘War on Iran’ — A Rare Public Break from Washington’s Security Consensus

Joe Kent, director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, resigned on March 17 saying he could not "in good conscience" support what he called a war on Iran, arguing Tehran did not pose an imminent threat and blaming pressure from Israel and U.S. pro-Israel lobbying. The atypical public break raises immediate questions about intelligence cohesion, domestic political influence on foreign policy, and potential diplomatic fallout.