The nation’s top counterterrorism official has resigned, saying he “cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran.” Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, posted his resignation letter to X on Tuesday morning. Writing directly to President Donald Trump, he said, “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 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 added. Kent is a former Green Beret whose wife, a Navy cryptologist, was killed by a suicide bomber in 2019 while serving in Syria. He was a controversial pick to lead the National Counterterrorism Center because of his ties to right-wing extremists and support for conspiracy theories, including baseless claims that federal agents were behind the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: https://to.pbs.org/41q6E8i Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews X: http://www.twitter.com/newshour Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour