US top official Joe Kent resigns over Iran war amid Larijani death reports

WASHINGTON: The head of the United States’ National Counterterrorism Centre (NCTC), Joe Kent, resigned on Tuesday in a highly publicised protest against the ongoing war with Iran, becoming the most senior US official to break publicly with the administration over the conflict.

Kent, a veteran Army officer and former CIA paramilitary officer, confirmed to the NCTC post in 2025, submitted his resignation directly to President Donald Trump and posted it on social media. In his statement, he said he could “no longer in good conscience support” the war and argued that Iran had not posed an “imminent threat” to the United States, questioning the justification for the escalation.

In his letter, Kent also criticised what he described as external influences driving US policy, asserting that pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby contributed to the decision to go to war, a rare public dissent from within the US national security establishment.

Kent’s departure underscores growing divisions within the U.S. government over the rationale and conduct of the Iran conflict, which has seen sharp escalation involving U.S. and allied military action. As head of the NCTC, he was responsible for coordinating analysis of terror threats and advising U.S. counterterrorism policy; his resignation raises questions about how future threats will be assessed and how policy will be shaped going forward.

At the same time that Kent’s resignation reverberated through Washington, reports emerged from Israeli and Western media that Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, may have been struck in a military attack. Israeli authorities claimed Larijani was killed in the strike, although Iran has not confirmed his condition or death.

Israeli media also reported that other high‑level Iranian commanders were targeted and killed in the same operation. Tehran’s official outlets have not directly addressed these claims, though uncertainty remains about both the accuracy of the reports and Tehran’s response.

The convergence of Kent’s resignation with the unverified reports about Larijani’s fate highlights the heightened tensions and unpredictability of the current Middle East crisis, as diplomatic and military pressures continue to build.

The White House has not yet issued a public response to Kent’s resignation or the Larijani strike claims.