Joe Kent, former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, is advocating for the removal of U.S. forces from the Middle East amid current tensions with Iran. In a social media post made on Sunday, Kent stated, “Get our troops out now before we suffer a mass casualty attack. Break the escalation trap. Trump still has the political strength at home to declare victory & have it resonate, that ability will be lost if we suffer more casualties. Now is the time to leave, immediately.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House on Monday regarding Kent’s comments. His remarks followed a report from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announcing the death of two U.S. service members and the missing status of another in Jordan after an Iranian attack. The remains of one individual were discovered at the site, and identification procedures are ongoing.
In a separate incident in northern Iraq, a U.S. service member was killed on July 18 during an operation involving a downed Iranian attack drone. Another service member sustained injuries and is receiving medical care.
Kent, who stepped down from his government role earlier this year due to his opposition to the conflict with Iran, criticized the war’s origins, stating in his resignation letter, “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.”
In another social media message on Saturday, Kent further expressed his stance: “We restore order by ending the conflict on our terms: deprive Iran of military targets to strike by removing our troops, bases, & naval forces from the area. Our bases in the region are liabilities & relics of the past—abandoning them is not retreat, it’s strategic adaptation to modern warfare.” He suggested offering sanctions relief in exchange for safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz as a way forward.
Alex Nitzberg covers this story for Fox News Digital.
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