TEHRAN — In a scathing public statement, former National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Director Joe Kent called on the US government to immediately halt military operations in the Middle East, pull back troops, and negotiate directly with regional adversaries, warning that American forces cannot defeat Iran militarily.

Kent’s comments mark a significant escalation in his criticism of current US foreign policy, following his high-profile resignation from his post on March 17, 2026, when he stated he could no longer support the administration's military campaign against Tehran.

In his statement posted to X, Kent argued that Washington has reached a strategic dead end and cautioned against further military involvement across the region. "Keep in mind that we could not militarily defeat the Houthis in 2025. We know we can’t militarily defeat Iran now. We will certainly not be able to defeat both of them simultaneously," Kent wrote. He urged policymakers to "skip the decades of carnage" and negotiate exit deals immediately, drawing parallels to previous American military exits from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.

Focusing on global shipping and economic security, Kent emphasized that Iran currently controls two vital maritime transit corridors: the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb. Rather than attempting a high-risk military solution to reopen these passages, he urged strategic realism, arguing that pulling US troops out of harm’s way would actually increase American diplomatic leverage and prevent a crippling global energy crisis.

Kent also directed sharp criticism toward Washington's national security establishment, urging leaders to tune out "the neocons and the Israeli lobby’s tired talking points about WMD," which he characterized as bait used to draw the country into a disastrous quagmire. Reinforcing the rationale behind his March resignation, Kent reiterated his position that Tehran poses no imminent threat to the US homeland and that American involvement in the conflict has been largely driven by pressure from foreign allies and domestic lobbying networks.

A former Green Beret and CIA officer with 11 combat deployments, Kent served as the Director of the NCTC until his departure. Directly addressing President Donald Trump, Kent concluded that withdrawing forces now provides the best opportunity to avoid a mass-casualty event or an economic collapse while restoring public trust.