Ex-Counterterrorism Chief Joe Kent Says US Intel Cleared Iran of Nuclear Weapons Before War

Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent wrote on X that before the Iran war started, the US intelligence community agreed the Islamic Republic was not developing a nuclear weapon.

"One of the many tragedies of this war is that before the war began the U.S. Intel Community, including CIA, was in agreement that Iran wasn't developing a nuclear weapon & that Iran would target U.S. bases in the region & shut down the Strait of Hormuz if they were attacked by Israel & the U.S.," Kent posted Thursday.

The intelligence community also assessed that targeting Iranian leadership would strengthen the regime and embolden hardliners, he added. Despite the professionalism and accuracy of those assessments, a narrative pushed by Israel won out and forced the US into the war, Kent wrote.

"We need to understand exactly how this happened to ensure we are never put in this position again," he concluded.

Fox News Digital contacted the White House on Friday for comment on Kent's remarks.

Kent resigned from his post as National Counterterrorism Center director in March. In his resignation letter, he stated, "I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran." He added that Iran posed no imminent threat to the nation and that the war began due to pressure from Israel and its American lobby.

In an April Truth Social post, President Donald Trump rejected claims that Israel talked him into the Iran war.