Former National Counterterrorism Centre chief Joe Kent has praised the ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran in a new video. However, he noted that it is important to make sure that “Israelis do not sabotage” the deal.
Back in March, Kent resigned from his post after he disagreed with President Donald Trump on the Iran war. He said that the country posed no imminent threat to the United States.
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“The last thing we need is the Israelis doing what they have done in past negotiations, targeting the negotiators or taking a series of strikes that escalates the conflict,” Kent said of the Iran-US deal.
Kent further said that it is important to restrain Israel, and to do that, the US must “start removing features of military support that we give to them.” He also noted that Israel’s objectives in Iran are different from those of the US, and that Washington’s work towards a ceasefire goes against “their strategic objectives of toppling the Iranian government.”
Why did Joe Kent resign?
In his resignation letter, shared on social media, Kent wrote, “It is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby”, citing Trump’s previous pledges to end US military engagement in West Asia.
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He urged Trump to rethink his decision to support the war.
“I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for. The time for bold action is now. You can reverse course and chart a new path for our nation, or you can allow us to slip further toward decline and chaos. You hold the cards,” Kent wrote.
