The US counterterrorism chief’s resignation over the Iran war made waves in Washington, but his assertion that Tehran posed no imminent threat was swiftly challenged by officials and analysts.
In his resignation letter to President Trump Joe Kent wrote that “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation” and accused the White House of going to war on behalf of Israel.
US officials pushed back quickly, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying Trump had evidence to support his decision to strike and House Speaker Mike Johnson questioning Kent’s information.
“I don't know where Joe Kent is getting this information, but he wasn't in those briefings,” Johnson said. “Had the president waited, we would have had mass casualties. That proposition at the end is clearly wrong.”
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also pushed back publicly, saying that the administration rejects the view that Iran posed no threat.
Kent resigned on Tuesday, saying he “cannot in good conscience” support the Trump administration’s war in Iran, and arguing the conflict had been driven by pressure from Israel and its supporters in the United States rather than an immediate security necessity.
President Trump dismissed him shortly afterward, calling it a “good thing” he stepped down and describing him as “very weak on security.”
'Kent’s claim contradicts years of warnings'
Analysts echoed that assessment.
“The fact of the matter is that Donald Trump, in his State of the Union address, said that Iran is a threat and Iran is thinking about directly attacking the United States. That's not Trump's imagination,” said Shayan Samii, a former US government appointee and Iranian-American analyst.
He pointed to Iran’s missile program and nuclear activity as further evidence.
“They bragged about having 60% enriched fuel, enough for eleven bombs. They told me and Jared [Kushner], ‘We're not gonna give you diplomatically what you couldn't take militarily,’” White House envoy Steve Witkoff said on March 8 alongside Trump aboard Air Force One.
Samii said such positions reinforced concerns that Iran was using diplomacy to buy time.
“They were saying, yes, we do have this material… why should we give [it] to you voluntarily?” he said.
More broadly, US security agencies have long warned that Iran poses a multifaceted threat, including cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, potential operations on US soil, drone capabilities and proxy attacks across the Middle East.
The FBI has also warned law enforcement in California of possible retaliation linked to the war, including the risk of Iranian drone activity targeting the US West Coast, according to an alert reviewed by ABC News.
Kent’s claim has also drawn emotional backlash from those directly affected by Iranian-linked violence.
“My husband, Alan, was killed by Iranian proxies in Iraq. And now, after decades, the fight is finally leading back to the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world,” a Gold Star widow wrote on X.
“You understood it when it was your loss. Now you’re minimizing it when it’s mine. You don’t get to redefine this war just because it’s not your grief anymore.”
Questions over access, motive and past ties
Against that backdrop, questions have also emerged about Kent’s access to intelligence and the motivations behind his position as well as his past political associations.
A senior administration official told Fox News Kent was “a known leaker” who had been cut out of presidential intelligence briefings months earlier and excluded from Iran-related planning – raising doubts about whether he had access to the information he was disputing.
“He has a history of white supremacism,” Jake Wallis Simons, host of the Brink podcast and a columnist with The Telegraph, told Iran International, adding that Kent’s background should be considered when evaluating his position.
Open-source reporting reviewed by Iran International shows Kent faced criticism during his political campaigns over engagement with white nationalist figures.
According to The Forward, he sought support from white nationalist Nick Fuentes and made comments describing American culture as “anti-white,” though Kent has said he disagrees with some of those views.
Stephen F. Hayes of The Dispatch reported that Kent’s former campaign manager acknowledged in texts that he had sent racist and antisemitic messages, and that a senior adviser attended a conference hosted by Fuentes.
Warren Kinsella, a former special assistant to Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, said opposition to the war in some cases reflects ideology rather than security realities.
“Kent is an example of that,” Kinsella said. “The war is defensible on any number of grounds… the fact that Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism. This was the right thing to do.”
He added that Kent’s past associations had long raised concerns.
“Kent had long had associations with white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups,” he said. “He was widely seen as a national security risk and only got through Senate scrutiny by the skin of his teeth.”
As head of the National Counterterrorism Center, Kent oversaw the agency responsible for analyzing terrorist threats – making his assertion that Iran posed no imminent danger particularly consequential.
Iran’s intelligence ministry said it had arrested 111 people linked to what it described as “monarchist cells” across 26 provinces, state media reported on Wednesday.
“Forces of the Intelligence Ministry identified and arrested 111 monarchist cells across 26 provinces before they could take action,” the ministry said in a statement.
It said the arrests were part of operations against what it described as “US-Zionist” plots to stir unrest and undermine the country’s security.
The ministry said weapons and equipment including firearms, bladed weapons, stun guns, batons, spray paint, leaflets and face coverings were seized.
Iranian authorities often accuse opposition groups, including monarchists, of links to foreign adversaries and of seeking to incite unrest.
Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib was killed in overnight strikes in Tehran, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday.
Khatib, a cleric, had served as Iran’s intelligence minister since 2021 and was seen as a close ally of late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
He previously held senior roles in Iran’s intelligence apparatus and judiciary, including positions within the Intelligence Ministry and the powerful Astan Quds Razavi foundation.
Katz said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had authorized the military to kill other senior Iranian officials on the target list without requiring further approval.
China will continue mediation efforts to push for a ceasefire and an end to fighting in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday, according to a foreign ministry statement.
Wang said the war should never have happened and there was no reason for it to continue.
He made the remarks during a meeting in Beijing with Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the UAE president’s special envoy to China.
Wang also voiced support for the United Arab Emirates in safeguarding its sovereignty and security, the statement said.
The Kremlin on Wednesday dismissed a Wall Street Journal report that Russia is sharing satellite imagery and improved drone technology with Iran, calling it “fake news.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the report was not accurate when asked about the newspaper’s claims.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Russia had expanded intelligence sharing and military cooperation with Iran, including providing satellite imagery and drone technology to help Tehran target US forces in the region, citing people familiar with the matter.
The Kremlin also condemned what it called the “murder” of Iranian leaders in US-Israeli airstrikes, after Iranian media reported the killing of senior adviser Ali Larijani in Tehran.
“We unequivocally condemn any actions aimed at harming the health of, or indeed murdering or eliminating, members of the leadership of sovereign and independent Iran,” Peskov said.