'Iran wasn't developing a nuclear weapon,' ex-counterterrorism chief says

Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, who resigned his position in March over the U.S.- and Israel-led attacks against Iran, said the intelligence community concluded Iran was not developing a nuclear weapon before the war began. 

Iran’s nuclear program has been a major talking point for the Trump administration as it defends the unpopular military operation. Here’s the latest: 

What did Joe Kent say about Iran? 

Kent was responding to a report from The Washington Post that said Iran can outlast President Donald Trump’s blockade on its ports for months, and that Iran still has "significant ballistic missile capabilities."

What they're saying:

"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 & that Iran would target U.S. bases in the region & shut down the Strait of Hormuz if they were attacked by Israel & the U.S.," Kent wrote on X. 

"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. We need to understand exactly how this happened to ensure we are never put in this position again."

Dig deeper:

Trump has repeatedly said the military operation against Iran will ensure the country cannot build an atomic weapon. Iran has enriched uranium to near weapons-grade levels, but Tehran insists its program is only for civilian purposes.

The other side:

The White House did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital, but Trump has previously denied that the Iran war was the result of a pressure campaign from Israel. He has also said it was "a good thing" that Kent quit the Trump administration. 

"Israel never talked me into the war with Iran, the results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, did," the president wrote on Truth Social in April, referring to the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack against Israel that launched the war against Hamas. 

Why did Joe Kent resign? 

The backstory:

Kent is a former political candidate in Washington state and a veteran who was deployed to combat 11 times. His wife was killed in action in 2019. 

He shared his resignation letter on social media on March 17. In the letter, he said he supported Trump’s values and foreign policies the president campaigned on, but claimed that the president was recently "deceived" by Israel into believing that Iran posed a threat to the U.S. and that action was necessary. 

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"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. We cannot make this mistake again," Kent said. 

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"As a veteran who deployed to combat 11 times and as a Gold Star husband who lost my beloved wife Shannon in a war manufactured by Israel, I cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people nor justifies the cost of American lives."

The FBI is reportedly investigating whether Kent improperly shared classified information.