"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," [director of the National Counterterrorism Center Joe] Kent wrote.
Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigns over Iran war.
x.com/joekent16jan...[image or embed]
" Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner.bsky.social) Mar 17, 2026 at 9:41 AM
Another view from The Hill ...
Johnson refutes Joe Kent on Iran: 'There was clearly an imminent threat'
thehill.com
... Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday refuted former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent's assertion that Iran posted no imminent threat to the U.S. before President Trump ordered strikes on the country.
"I'm on the Gang of Eight. I got all the briefings. We all understood there was clearly an imminent threat," Johnson said in a press conference, referring to the classified briefings provided to top Congressional leaders.
"I don't know where Joe Kent is getting his information, but he wasn't in those briefings, clearly," Johnson said.
Other top Democrats who were in those Gang of Eight briefings, however, have disagreed with Johnson and said they were not presented evidence that the U.S. was under threat of an imminent attack from Iran. ...
#@22 ... Is Iran eventually having "the bomb" acceptable to you? ...
Apparently, it was acceptable to Pres Trump when he cancelled the treaty during his first term.
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
en.wikipedia.org
... The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA...),[5][6] also known as the Iran nuclear deal or Iran deal, was an agreement to limit the Iranian nuclear program in return for sanctions relief and other provisions. The agreement was finalized in Vienna on 14 July 2015, between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) -- China, France, Russia, the U.K., U.S. -- plus Germany)[a] together with the European Union. ...[emphasis mine]
Related ...
Trump was warned of likely Iranian retaliation on Gulf allies, sources say
www.reuters.com
... President Donald Trump was warned that attacking Iran could trigger retaliation against U.S. Gulf allies despite his claims on Monday that Tehran's reaction came as a surprise, said a U.S. official and two sources familiar with U.S. intelligence reports.
Pre-war intelligence assessments did not say that Iran's response was "a guarantee, but it certainly was on the list of potential outcomes," said one source, who like the other two requested anonymity to discuss the issue.
The president twice on Monday said that Iran's retaliatory strikes against Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait were a surprise, the first time at a Kennedy Center board meeting in the White House.
"They (Iran) weren't supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East," he said. "Nobody expected that. We were shocked."
Trump's assertion followed other administration claims that have not been backed by U.S. intelligence reporting, such as that Iran would soon have a missile capable of hitting the U.S. homeland and that it would need two to four weeks to make a nuclear bomb and would then use it.
Those allegations and an imminent threat posed by Iran to the U.S. and its forces in the region have been among varying reasons that Trump and some top aides have given to justify his decision to join Israel in launching their air war against Iran on February 28. ...
Truth,
"I wonder about the souls of those who don't agree with me."
Hmmm....
We'll leave it at that.
Decades ago I personally worked with someone at DIA who would later become D/NCTC after I retired: media.executivegov.com
Christy Abizaid, daughter of the famous US Army general, was a terrific athlete and a clever and popular person.
Appointed by POTUS Joe Biden, Christy was the first woman and first openly gay person to hold the position of D/NCTC.
Today, she would not recognize NCTC, DIA, or the rest of the USIC for that matter, all thanks to Dummkopf Trumpf and his coterie of misfits, sycophants, and Islamophobes.
"If votes are being suppressed on Election Day, then vote early."
Now do Alabama, which does not have early voting.
www.wvtm13.com
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