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Joseph Kent, director of the US National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), has resigned from his position over America’s involvement in the ongoing Iran conflict.
On February 28, Israel launched what they called pre-emptive missile strikes on Iran. Hours after the announcement, President Donald Trump said the strikes were in collaboration with the United States.
Iran has continue to exchange strikes and counterstrikes with the US-Israel team.
The NCTC serves as the primary US government organisation for integrating and analysing terrorism-related intelligence from across federal agencies.
’I CANNOT SUPPORT THE WAR’
In a statement on Tuesday, Kent said he decided to resign after much reflection.
“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent said.
“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.
“In your first administration, you understood better than any modern President how to decisively apply military power without getting us drawn into never-ending wars. You demonstrated this by killing Qasam Solamani and by defeating ISIS.
“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. This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, and that should you strike now, there was a clear path to a swift victory.
“This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war that cost our nation the lives of thousands of our best men and women. We cannot make this mistake again.”
The director, who was previously deployed to combat 11 times, said he lost his wife in a war manufactured by Israel.
“I 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,” he noted.
Kent urged Trump to reflect on the US’ actions in Iran, “and who we are doing it for”.
He is the first official in the Trump administration to publicly denounce America’s participation in the conflict.
Democratic lawmakers have questioned the president’s actions and asked Congress to invoke powers that would terminate US military engagement in the Middle East.
