Former National Counterterrorism Center head Joe Kent accuses Israel of manipulating the United States into a conflict with Iran, disputing claims of an imminent Iranian nuclear threat.
Key Points
- Joe Kent, former head of the National Counterterrorism Center, claims Israel drove the US decision-making that led to escalating tensions with Iran.
- Kent disputes claims that Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon, citing a religious ruling against it since 2004 and a lack of intelligence suggesting otherwise.
- Kent asserts there was no substantiated evidence of an imminent Iranian attack, contradicting statements made by US officials.
- Kent believes the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei would not necessarily destabilise the regime.
- Former US President Donald Trump criticised Kent's stance on Iran, stating that Iran is a threat.
Joe Kent, who resigned as head of the National Counterterrorism Center over the Iran war, has accused Israel of pulling the United States into the conflict.
"The Israelis drove the decision to take this action, which we knew would set off a series of events because the Iranians would retaliate," Kent told right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson.
Carlson questioned Kent on whether Iran was truly close to obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Kent dismissed the notion, saying, "No, they weren't three weeks ago when this started, and they weren't in June either. I mean, the Iranians have had a religious ruling, a fatwa, against actually developing a nuclear weapon since 2004. That's been in place since 2004. That's available in the public sphere. But then also, we had no intelligence to indicate that that fatwa was being disobeyed or it was on the cusp of being lifted."
Kent further emphasised that the threat of an imminent Iranian attack was not substantiated.
"The President, Secretary of State and Speaker all said the attack was carried out because the Israelis were about to strike. Had they not said that, proving otherwise would have been very difficult. There's simply no case that Iran was planning an immediate attack. It did not exist," he added.
Kent's Perspective on Iranian Leadership
Carlson also sought Kent's insights on the potential impact of the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
"I don't think the Ayatollah feared dying. Not because he's some crazy lunatic but because he knew if he was killed the regime would survive," Kent said.
Trump's Reaction to Kent's Resignation
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that the resignation of Joseph Kent stating that his exit was "a good thing" while criticising his stance on Iran.
"I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security. But when I read his statement, I realised that it's a good thing that he's out because he said that Iran was not a threat. Every country realised what a threat Iran was," Trump has said.
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