Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent is continuing to advocate for President Donald Trump to remove U.S.forces from the Middle East."President Trump again called off strikes on Iran—this is a good decision.
It is clear that he wants out of this war, for all the obvious reasons.It is also clear that Iran will not simply return the SOH [Strait of Hormuz] to how it was before the war.
We need to accept that we can’t use military force to open the SOH (we’ve tried that) without a catastrophic escalation into a bloody, years-long war," Kent wrote."Now is the time for President Trump to pull our troops out of the region.He can declare victory (reiterate the previously stated goal—no nukes—was met) & quietly use the carrot of sanctions relief to open the SOH once our troops are out of harm’s way.
If we stay, we risk accelerating an escalation/retaliation cycle we can’t control," he added.EX-COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL JOE KENT CONTINUES CALLING FOR US MILITARY WITHDRAWAL FROM MIDDLE EASTThen-National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Dec.11, 2025.
(Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)Kent cited his opposition to the Iran war when he resigned from the National Counterterrorism Center director role earlier this year.Fox News Digital reached out to request comment from the White House early on Monday morning.President Donald Trump indicated in a Saturday night Truth Social post that the U.S.was going to hold off on launching new attacks against Iran.TRUMP SAYS IRAN DEAL 'IMMINENT'; PLANNED STRIKE WOULD'VE BEEN LARGEST SINCE WORLD WAR IIU.S.
President Donald Trump walks to a waiting Air Force One at the Hagerstown Regional Airport on July 31, 2026 in Hagerstown, Maryland.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)"The U.S.A.
is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not ...