Joe Kent, a Top U.S. Counterterrorism Official, Resigns Over the Iran War

Mr. Kent is the highest-ranking Trump administration official to quit in opposition to the conflict. He is also known for his support of conspiracy theories.

One of the United States’ top counterterrorism officials resigned on Tuesday, citing his opposition to the war in Iran and what he said was Israel’s influence over the Trump administration’s policies, a sign of emerging divisions in the Republican coalition.

The official, Joe Kent, is the first senior member of the administration to quit over the war.

The seemingly open-ended nature of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran has created strong divisions among Mr. Trump’s supporters. An anti-interventionist wing of the coalition, which supported President Trump because of his criticism of long overseas conflicts, has quickly become uneasy with the war, which has lasted 18 days with no immediate sign of ending.

“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Mr. Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, wrote in a letter to Mr. Trump. “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.”

More on the Fighting in the Middle East

Top Iranian Official Killed: Ali Larijani, one of Iran’s most powerful leaders, has been killed in an Israeli airstrike, the Israeli military and Iranian state media said. The news of his death immediately fueled anxiety among Iranians about the direction of the war and the country.

Strait of Hormuz: A tanker anchored off the coast of the United Arab Emirates near the vital waterway was hit by a projectile, a British maritime monitoring agency said. At least 17 vessels have been attacked in the region since U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran began.

Energy Crisis: To help control spiking oil prices during the war, the United States is turning to an unlikely source for help: a network of tankers with ties to the Iranian military.

Gulf Countries’ Security: Barraged by Iranian attacks and questioning the value of security ties with the United States, nations in the Gulf have turned to Ukraine, Australia and Italy for help.

Israel’s Missile Interceptors: The Israeli military has denied reports that it is running out of missile interceptors, saying it had “prepared for prolonged combat.” Israel’s Ministry of Defense declined to comment on whether Israel had requested additional interceptors from the United States.

Israeli Schools: Some of the country’s schools have reopened in areas far from its most populous cities, in locations the government has deemed relatively safe from missile and rocket attacks. They have excluded areas near the border with Lebanon.