The American intelligence community (IC) agreed before the US-Israel war on Iran began that Tehran was not developing a nuclear weapon, the former head of US counterterrorism has said.
"One of the many tragedies of this war is that before the war began the U.S. Intel Community, including CIA, was in agreement that Iran wasn't developing a nuclear weapon," former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent wrote on X Thursday.
Kent said US intelligence further determined that Iran would retaliate against US bases and shutter the Strait of Hormuz if it were to come under attack from the US and Israel -- both of which materialised after the allies launched their war on February 28.
"The IC also properly assessed that targeting the Iranian leadership would strengthen the regime and embolden the hardliners. Despite the professionalism & accuracy of the IC, the narrative & agenda spun by a foreign government- Israel, won the argument & forced us into this war," he wrote.
"We need to understand exactly how this happened to ensure we are never put in this position again," he added.
Kent resigned from his post March 17 over disagreements to go to war with Iran, criticising Israeli officials and some American media figures whom he accused of misleading the administration, and drawing parallels with the US decision to go to war with Iraq in the years after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Kent making false claims, says White House
"Early in this administration, high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran," Kent wrote in a letter to US President Trump that he shared on X.
"This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, and that should you strike now, there was a clear path to a swift victory. This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war that cost our nation the lives of thousands of our best men and women," he said.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Anadolu that Kent's "self-aggrandising resignation letter and recent comments are riddled with lies."
"Most egregious are Kent’s false claims that the largest state sponsor of terrorism somehow did not pose a threat to the United States and that Israel forced the President into launching Operation Epic Fury," he said.
"As Commander-in-Chief, President Trump took decisive action based on strong evidence which showed that the Iranian regime posed an imminent threat and was preparing to strike Americans first. President Trump’s number one priority has always been ensuring the safety and security of the American people," he added.
Middle East tensions surged after US and Israeli forces struck Iran on February 28. Tehran retaliated against Israel and US allies, closing the crucial waterway, Strait of Hormuz.
A truce mediated by Pakistan began on April 8, but Islamabad talks failed to yield a deal. Trump later extended the truce indefinitely. Five days later, US began to impose its blockade on Iranian ports, claiming it costs Iranian economy around $450 million a day.
