The former director of the US National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) has urged President Donald Trump to immediately end the war against Iran and dismiss several senior members of his administration, saying the American public has rejected the war and that prolonging it would further damage US interests.
In an article published by Responsible Statecraft on Friday, Joe Kent said the results of Tuesday's midterm elections had sent a clear message about public opposition to the war, adding that Trump should act on the outcome without delay.
"The American people settled the debate. It's time to end the war in Iran," Kent wrote, adding that Trump should bring the conflict to an end immediately.
Kent is a United States Army combat veteran and former Central Intelligence Agency paramilitary officer who served as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center from 2025 to 2026.
Kent said the war had exposed deep divisions within Trump's political coalition, including among supporters who had initially backed his promise to avoid new military conflicts.
He pointed out that more than 70 percent of voters blamed the war against Iran and Washington's imbalanced relationship with Israel for rising inflation and economic pressures.
To ensure that efforts to end the war were not obstructed, Kent called on Trump to dismiss War Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
He urged the president to replace them with officials committed to ending the war and capable of ensuring that government institutions follow his instructions.
Kent also outlined a series of measures he said were necessary to bring the war to an end. These included withdrawing US troops from the Persian Gulf and lifting the naval blockade on Iran.
He argued that American military bases in the region had become strategic liabilities rather than assets, while maintaining the blockade could provide Iran with further justification for military action in the Persian Gulf.
Ending the blockade, he said, would remove potential targets for Iranian retaliation and create an opportunity to revive diplomatic efforts.
Kent also proposed gradually easing sanctions on Iranian oil and natural gas exports as an incentive for Tehran to help maintain the security of the Strait of Hormuz.
He further called for Washington to put pressure on Israel to prevent it from undermining efforts to end the war.
Kent also urged Trump to oppose provisions in US defense and intelligence legislation that he said would give Israel access to sensitive American military and intelligence capabilities.
He called for the dismissal of US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and members of his team, accusing them of prioritizing Israeli interests over those of the United States.
Kent's latest remarks follow his resignation in protest against the US-Israeli war on Iran.
In a letter addressed to Trump and published on social media in March, he said he could not support the war in good conscience, arguing that Iran had posed no imminent threat to the United States and that Washington had entered the war under pressure from Israel and its supporters in the US.
His departure exposed growing disagreements within the Trump administration over the decision to attack Iran, particularly among figures who had supported Trump's earlier opposition to foreign military interventions.
Kent warned that continuing the war would deepen the crisis facing the United States, urging Trump to change course before the country slid further into instability.
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