The director of the US counterterrorism center, Joseph Kent, resigned on Tuesday, criticising the war in Iran and asserting in a letter to President Donald Trump that “Iran did not constitute an immediate threat to our country.”

Kent published the letter on X, saying he “cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war on Iran” and claiming the conflict was initiated under pressure from Israel and its American lobby.

Kent argued that early in the administration, “high-ranking Israeli officials and powerful members of the American media developed a disinformation campaign that completely undermined your ‘America First’ platform and sowed pro-war sentiment.”

He warned that similar tactics had drawn the US into the Iraq War and must not be repeated.

A former special force warrant officer with combat experience, Kent praised Trump’s earlier foreign military actions, including the assassination of Iranian general Qassem Suleimani, but accused the administration of abandoning restraint under the influence of a jingoistic environment.

Trump responded to Kent’s resignation at a White House St Patrick’s Day reception, saying he “didn’t know him well” and describing his position on Iran as weak.

“Every country realised what a threat Iran was, so when someone is working with us that says they didn’t think Iran was a threat, we don’t want those people, they’re not savvy people,” Trump retorted.