President Trump seems to be receiving conflicting counsel from multiple factions, but the most prudent voices are those warning of political and economic catastrophe.
Resignation That Cannot Be Ignored: Why Trump Must Heed His Advisors and End the Iran War
Zvakwana Nomore Sweto
The resignation of Joseph Kent, the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center in the United States of America, is more than just another personnel change in the Trump administration, it is a glaring warning sign that the President can no longer afford to ignore.
Kent, a former U.S. special forces soldier and CIA officer, stepped down citing an inability “in good conscience” to support the ongoing war in Iran. In his resignation letter, he made a stark assertion: Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States, and the war was launched due to pressure from Israel and its American lobby.
For a man with Kent’s background, someone who has bled for his country and paid the ultimate personal price, to walk away from a senior position speaks volumes. He argued that he cannot support sending “the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people.”
Kent’s resignation comes at a moment when even President Trump’s inner circle is experiencing profound “buyer’s remorse” over the Iran conflict. According to an Axios report, key officials who were initially reluctant about the war are now watching in horror as the administration finds itself caught in an “escalation trap” in the Strait of Hormuz.
The dynamics are troubling: Iran has effectively paralyzed one of the world’s most critical oil waterways, sending energy prices soaring.
Yet President Trump appears “more dug in” rather than reassessing. This is precisely the moment when a leader needs advisors who will speak truth to power and when those advisors resign, it is a signal that truth is no longer being heard.
President Trump seems to be receiving conflicting counsel from multiple factions, but the most prudent voices are those warning of political and economic catastrophe.
Economic advisors from the Treasury Department and National Economic Council have warned that an oil shock and rising gasoline prices could quickly erode domestic support for the war.
As USA Today recently noted, presidents have learned a hard truth: it is easier to get into a war than to get out of one. Harry Truman in Korea, Lyndon Johnson in Vietnam, George W. Bush in Iraq, all discovered that conflicts take on lives of their own, consuming presidencies and legacies.
Trump now faces the same predicament. With 14 U.S. service members killed, around 1,300 Iranian casualties including their Supreme Leader, and global markets in turmoil, the costs are mounting. Public opinion is already souring.
Kent is the first senior administration official to resign explicitly over the Iran war, but he likely will not be the last if the conflict continues. His departure exposes emerging divisions not just within the administration, but within the Republican coalition itself.
When a counterterrorism director, someone with access to the highest-level intelligence, stands up and says this war serves no American benefit, it is a moment for sober reflection, Mr. President.
President Trump should listen to Kent. He should listen to his economic advisors warning of political fallout. He should listen to his political team urging a narrow definition of victory. And he should listen to the growing chorus from his own base demanding an end to the conflict.
The Strait of Hormuz remains paralyzed. Iran’s new leadership shows no signs of collapse. And the United States finds itself in a quagmire with no clear exit.
The question now is whether President Trump will heed those closest to him, or whether, like presidents before him, he will learn the hard way that getting out of a war is far harder than getting into one.
The resignation letter by Kent read:
President Trump,
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. 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.
I support the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on in 2016, 2020, 2024, which you enacted in your first term. Until June of 2025, you understood that the wars in the Middle East were a trap that robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.
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 you should 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.
As a veteran who deployed to combat 11 times and as a Gold Star husband who lost my beloved wife Shannon 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.
I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran and who we are doing it for. The time for bold action is now. You can reverse course and chart a new path for our nation, or you can allow us to slip further toward decline and chaos. You hold the cards.
It was an honor to serve in your administration and to serve our great nation.
Joe Kent
Director, National Counterterrorism Center
