In a resurgence of advocacy, Joe Kent, who previously led the National Counterterrorism Center, is pressing for the United States to pull its forces out of the Middle East. This call comes as tensions continue to mount due to the ongoing conflict with Iran.
“Withdraw our troops immediately to prevent a mass casualty incident. We must break out of this cycle of escalation,” Kent urged on Sunday via social media platform X. “President Trump still commands the political authority to declare this a victory, a narrative that risks unraveling with further losses. The moment for an exit is now, without delay.”
In response to these developments, News Media sought a statement from the White House on Monday.
The backdrop to this appeal includes President Donald Trump’s arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on July 17, 2026. (Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)
Kent made his remarks while amplifying a communication from the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on social media.
“Yesterday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the passing of two U.S. service members and the missing status of one in Jordan following an Iranian attack on July 17. After a thorough search, U.S. military personnel found unidentified remains at the location earlier today. An examination process to verify the remains is ongoing,” CENTCOM noted in part of a statement on Sunday.
“Separately, a U.S. service member in northern Iraq was killed in action July 18 during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone. A second service member was wounded and continues to receive medical treatment for a minor injury,” the statement noted.
Kent quit the counterterrorism government post earlier this year, citing his opposition to the Iran war.
In part of his resignation letter he asserted, “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.”
Joseph Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In a portion of a Saturday post on X he wrote, “We restore order by ending the conflict on our terms: deprive Iran of military targets to strike by removing our troops, bases, & naval forces from the area. Our bases in the region are liabilities & relics of the past—abandoning them is not retreat, it’s strategic adaptation to modern warfare. This move removes Iran’s primary justification for disrupting shipping in the SOH and for attacking its neighbors. We can then offer the carrot: sanctions relief in exchange for freedom of navigation in the SOH.”