The United States intelligence community had assessed that Iran was not developing a nuclear weapon before the recent conflict, according to former National Counterterrorism Center (NCC) director Joe Kent.
In a post on X, Kent said the intelligence community, including the CIA, agreed prior to the war that “Iran wasn’t developing a nuclear weapon.” He also claimed that Iran was expected to respond to any attack by targeting US bases in the region and potentially disrupting the Strait of Hormuz.
“One of the many tragedies of this war is that before it began, the US intelligence community, including CIA, was in agreement that Iran wasn’t developing a nuclear weapon,” Kent wrote.
Kent further alleged that Israel’s narrative influenced US decision-making, saying it “won the argument & forced us into this war.”
He asserted that he cannot in “good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran.” He pointedly said that Iran posed “no imminent threat” to US and it is clear that US started this war due to “pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
He also argued that intelligence assessments had warned that targeting Iran’s leadership would strengthen the country’s ruling establishment and empower hardliners.
According to Kent, despite what he described as accurate intelligence assessments, political pressure led to the decision to proceed with military action.
The United States and Israel launched attack against Iran on February 28, 2026, citing concerns over Iran’s nuclear program but during the course of the war Trump and his administration has bene shufting goalposts.
In earlier statements, Kent said he resigned from his position in March in protest against what he described as “unwarranted US-Israeli aggression against Iran.” In his resignation letter, he wrote that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States and accused political actors of pushing the country into war under external influence.
Kent also criticized US foreign policy direction, claiming that intelligence had been undermined by political narratives and that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its supporters.
He expressed concern that the conflict could draw the United States into another prolonged Middle East war and urged a reassessment of the decision-making process that led to the escalation.
” Until June of 2025, you understood that the wars in the Middle East were a trap that robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.
In your first administration, you understood better than any modern President how to decisively apply military power without getting us drawn into never-ending wars,” he wrote mentioning the killing of Qasam Solamani and by defeating ISIS.
He also raise dthe issue of high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media that were deployed for “misinformation campaign that wholly undermined America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran.”
” This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, and that should you strike now, there was a clear path to a swift victory. This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war that cost our nation the lives of thousands of our best men and women. We cannot make this mistake again,” he said.
“I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for. The time for bold action is now. You can reverse course and chart a new path for our nation, or you can allow us to slip further toward decline and chaos. You hold the cards. It was an honor to serve in your administration and to serve our great nation.” he said.
