‘Nice Guy But Weak On Security’: Trump On Counterterrorism Chief’s Resignation Over Iran War

Last Updated:March 17, 2026, 10:05 PM IST

Joe Kent, director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, said Iran posed no imminent threat and blamed pressure from Israel and its US lobby.

US President Donald Trump, and Joe Kent, director of the US National Counterterrorism Center. (Combo pics: AP/AFP)

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Joseph Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), as “a nice guy but very weak on security” after Kent publicly announced his resignation in protest against the ongoing war in Iran.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that seeing Kent’s resignation statement made him realise “it’s a good thing that he’s out.”

“I read his statement. I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security. Very weak on security,” he said while describing Kent.

The US President also criticised Kent for claiming that Iran did not pose a threat, saying, “Iran was a threat. Every country realized what a threat Iran was. The question is whether or not they wanted to do something about it.”

Kent, the first and most senior Trump administration official to step down over the conflict, made his announcement on social media platform X.

“After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today. I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” he wrote.

He stressed that “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation” and claimed that “it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”

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Kent, a former member of the Green Berets who served multiple combat tours, also shared his resignation letter addressed to Trump on his social media post.

“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 wrote.

“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,” he added.

Kent further said that he could not continue to support the war. “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 wrote.

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