FBI opens investigation into counterterror chief who resigned over Iran war Submitted by Fleur Hargreaves on Thu, 03/19/2026 - 11:44 Joseph Kent said Iran posed ‘no imminent threat’ and blamed ‘pressure from Israel’ for Trump’s war Joseph Kent, as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, testifies before the House Committee on Homeland Security in Washington DC on 11 December 2025 (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/AFP) Off The FBI has opened an investigation into a senior US counterterrorism official who recently quit in protest at the war on Iran, for allegedly leaking classified information.  Joseph Kent resigned from his position as director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) on Tuesday, announcing in a letter to US President Donald Trump posted on X that he “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,” the 45-year-old veteran and former special forces member wrote. His claims directly contradict the justification for the war provided by Trump, who announced in a video on his Truth Social platform on 28 February that he was launching Operation Epic Fury as a defensive project to eliminate the imminent nuclear threat allegedly posed by Iran. Trump also previously told The Washington Post that the goal of the bombing campaign, which has so far killed nearly 1,500 civilians, including more than 200 children, was “freedom” for the Iranian people. The FBI investigation into Kent allegedly predated his departure, according to multiple unnamed sources cited by CBS News and The New York Times. One source told Semafor that the investigation was “months-long”, although the FBI have so far declined to comment on the allegations. Kent is the highest-ranking official to quit over the Trump administration’s decision to wage war on Iran together with its Israeli ally. ‘N