“We started this war under pressure from Israel.” A high-profile resignation in the US

In a very personal message addressed to the U.S. president, the former director explained his reasons for stepping down. According to Kent, recent decisions by the administration of Donald Trump to commence hostilities with Iran are mistaken and will carry serious consequences for the United States.

Trump "has fallen in a trap"

Kent said he had supported Donald Trump’s foreign policy for years and believed that, until June 2025 (the launch of Operation Midnight Hammer), the president understood that wars in the Middle East are a trap — „one that robs the United States of the precious lives of American patriots (…)”.

He wrote that in his first term, Trump understood better than any other modern president how to use military power without dragging the US into endless wars, citing the 2020 killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani as an example of that approach.

Kent noted that the time has come for decisive action. He stated the administration can either change course and chart a new path for our country, or allow the US to sink deeper into decline and chaos. He concluded, stating the choice is entirely in Trump’s hands. He argued that in both the current war with Iran and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, U.S. authorities had been „misled by Israel and its disinformation campaigns.” 

According to Dr. Aleksander Olech, Kent’s resignation points to mounting difficulties inside the White House and is unlikely to be the only issue troubling President Donald Trump.

„The departure of a senior counterterrorism official is not merely a personnel change; it is also a political signal. At a time of active military operations, it reflects deepening divisions within the American security establishment. Opposition to the war is no longer confined to Democrats; an increasing number of Republicans are also beginning to question the direction of the conflict,” Olech said. 

In his view, another serious challenge facing the Trump administration is its inability to build an international coalition to support the United States in its confrontation with Iran.

„Trump called on allies, and even suggested he would be open to cooperation with China, to deploy naval forces to secure the Strait of Hormuz. No country responded with concrete support. This lack of engagement highlights the broader reluctance to join an escalation that is increasingly seen as a U.S.-driven initiative,” the analyst noted. 

„The United States is now facing a difficult strategic choice. It can escalate the conflict and commit fully: an »all-in« scenario that would carry significant costs; or limit the scope of operations, risking both political and strategic defeat. This is no longer just a military operation. It has become a high-stakes political gamble,” he concluded.