Joe Kent (AP file photo)
Joe Kent, a former aide to Donald Trump who recently resigned as director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, made strong claims about Iran’s nuclear program and said Tehran is no closer to becoming a nuclear power.Kent also said that former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the US-Israeli strikes, was “controlling his own nuclear program” and suggested that there was no justification for the war, which, according to him, Israel had involved the United States in.
His resignation came amid the ongoing conflict in Iran, a key part of Trump’s aggressive strategy toward Tehran. Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has opened an investigation into Kent over alleged unauthorized disclosure of classified information.
No intelligence about major attack on Iran
In his first interview since leaving office, Kent rejected reports that Iran was planning a large-scale attack on the United States similar to the 9/11 attacks or the attack on Pearl Harbor.Kent said on the Tucker Carlson Podcast, “There was no intelligence that said, Hey, whatever day it is, on March 1, the Iranians are going to launch this big covert attack, they’re going to do some kind of attack like 9/11, Pearl Harbor, etc. They’re going to attack one of our bases. There was no such intelligence.”His comments contrast with repeated statements by Trump and the White House, which cited an “imminent threat” from Iran as justification for launching the strikes.
Khamenei ‘operated’ the nuclear program
Joe Kent further argued that Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes last month, was controlling the country’s nuclear program.“I’m not a fan of the former supreme leader, you know, Ali Khamenei, though, he was controlling their nuclear program. He was preventing them from getting nuclear weapons,” he said, warning, “If you take them out, if you take them out aggressively, people are going to rally around that regime.”Asked by Tucker Carlson whether Iran was on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons, Kent responded, “No, they were not,” adding that Iran’s strategy was “not to completely abandon the nuclear program.”
Israel’s role in the conflict blamed
Kent also claimed that Israel had effectively drawn the United States into the conflict and was exerting widespread influence over American policy in the Middle East.He referred to comments from Marco Rubio, who previously argued that Iran is an imminent threat because the US believes Israel is preparing to attack and that Iran would retaliate. Kent called this argument flawed, saying there was no indication that Iran would attack without provocation.“So, the imminent threat that the Secretary of State is describing is not from Iran. It’s from Israel,” Carlson asked.“Sure,” Kent replied. “And I think it speaks to the broader issue: who is in charge of our policy in the Middle East.”Resignation and FBI investigationKent, who has previously faced criticism for his alleged ties to far-right figures including white nationalists and Nazi sympathizers, focused heavily on Israel in his resignation letter. Some Republicans have accused him of promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.Meanwhile, the FBI has opened an investigation into Kent over alleged unauthorized disclosure of classified information, according to a person familiar with the matter. The inquiry has been ongoing for several months and continues after Kent announced his resignation on Tuesday in protest of the US war with Iran.In his resignation letter posted on Twitter, Kent said he “cannot support sending the next generation to fight and die in a war that will provide no benefit to the American people.” He argued that Iran posed no imminent threat and accused Israel of misleading the administration into the conflict that began with US and Israeli attacks on February 28.
America’s response
Speaking in the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump rejected Kent’s assessment and said he had long disagreed with his views. Trump reiterated that Iran “was a threat” and said it was “a good thing” that Kent left office.