US counterterror chief says in resignation letter Israel 'deceived' Trump into attacking Iran

A senior Trump administration official in the directorate of national intelligence has resigned over the war on Iran, saying that the US president was tricked into the conflict by an Israeli and pro-war “echo chamber”.

“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. 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,” Joseph Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, wrote in a resignation letter shared on Tuesday.

The centre oversees all US government intelligence on threats and falls under the Directorate of National Intelligence, which is run by Tulsi Gabbard.

Kent is one of the highest-profile political appointees to resign in decades over a foreign war.

Read more: US counterterror chief says in resignation letter Israel 'deceived' Trump into attacking Iran