Ex-intel chief claims a foreign government pushed the US into Iran war against agency advice

WASHINGTON, DC: A fresh political storm erupted in Washington after former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent publicly claimed that the American intelligence community had reached an internal consensus before the Iran conflict that Tehran was not actively building a nuclear weapon.

Kent’s comments, posted Thursday, May 7, on social media, directly challenge one of the central justifications used by the Trump administration during the run-up to military operations against Iran, triggering immediate pushback from the White House.

Joe Kent says intelligence warnings were ignored

In a sharply worded statement posted online, Kent argued that US intelligence agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency, had already assessed key risks before the conflict began and that many of those warnings later proved accurate.

According to Kent, intelligence officials believed Iran was not actively constructing a nuclear weapon before the outbreak of hostilities.

He also claimed analysts had warned that if Iran were attacked by either the United States or Israel, Tehran would likely retaliate by targeting American military facilities across the region and moving to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

“One of the many tragedies of this war is that before the war began, the US intelligence community was in agreement that Iran wasn’t developing a nuclear weapon,” Kent wrote.

He went even further, alleging that intelligence officials had also warned that efforts to decapitate Iran’s leadership could backfire politically.

“The intelligence community properly assessed that targeting Iranian leadership would strengthen the regime and embolden hardliners,” he said.

Kent then made his most explosive claim suggesting foreign political pressure, rather than intelligence findings, ultimately shaped US policy.

“Despite the professionalism and accuracy of the intelligence community, the narrative pushed by a foreign government won the argument and forced us into this war,” he added.

White House fires back

White House spokesman Davis Ingle dismissed Kent’s claims as politically motivated and accused the former official of misrepresenting both the intelligence and the president’s decision-making.

“Joe Kent’s recent comments are riddled with lies,” Ingle said in a statement.

He defended President Donald Trump’s actions, insisting the administration acted on what it believed was credible evidence of an imminent Iranian threat.

“As commander-in-chief, President Trump acted on strong intelligence showing the Iranian regime posed a direct and immediate danger to Americans,” Ingle added.

Kent resigned from his counterterrorism post in March, citing deep opposition to the administration’s Iran policy.

In his resignation letter, he wrote: “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran.”