Fact Check: Did Joe Kent resign because he knows a false flag is coming amid Iran war?

WASHINGTON, DC: Joe Kent, a former US Army warrant officer, resigned from his post as one of the nation’s top officials on Tuesday, March 17, and said that he cannot in 'good conscience' support the Trump administration’s war in Iran.

Following this, a rumor circulated online claiming that Joe Kent resigned because he knew a false flag was coming. But is there any truth to this rumor? Let us find out below.

Claim: Joe Kent resigned because he knows a false flag is coming

An X user @AdameMedia came up with a post that read, "Did Joe Kent resign because he knows a false flag is coming? You wouldn’t want to be the head of counter-t******m if a new 9/11 happened."

Similarly, another X user posted, "What interesting timing for the US Director of National Countert*******m to resign.... right? Joseph Kent must know the false flag Israel has planned and doesn't want to be blamed."

Another person wrote on X, "Something very bad is about to happen. The Director of National Counterte******m Joe Kent wouldn’t have resigned if the war was about to end. False flag? Ground invasion? Nuke?"

In a letter to President Donald Trump, Kent wrote, "Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby."

"I support the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on in 2016, 2020, and 2024, which you enacted in your first term. I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for," he added.

Fact Check: False, not supported by credible evidence

The viral claim that Joe Kent resigned because he knows a false flag is coming is not true, as it is not supported by credible evidence and appears to be unfounded speculation or conspiracy theorizing.

In his letter to Trump, Kent's statement directly contradicts the Trump administration's stated justification for military action against Iran, involving joint US-Israel strikes that began in late February 2026, now in its third week as of mid-March. 

Moreover, several major news outlets, such as CNN, NBC, and MS NOW, consistently reported the resignation as a protest over opposition to the war and its rationale, and there was no mention of any 'false flag' in Kent's letter or official accounts.

Interestingly, President Trump also responded by calling Kent 'very weak on security' and added that it was 'a good thing he's out.'

Meanwhile, some administration sources suggested Kent's departure may have been forced, but this remains unconfirmed and unrelated to false flag claims.