Joe Kent, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigns

WASHINGTON (CBS, KYMA) - President Donald Trump's director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, announced his immediate resignation Tuesday, citing the decision to begin a war against Iran when "Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation."

Kent, nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate last year, posted his resignation letter on X Tuesday morning, saying he "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."

"I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran," Kent wrote. "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."

Kent is the first senior member of the Trump Administration to resign because of the conflict with Iran.

The National Counterterrorism Center keeps track of terrorist threats and maintains a database of suspected and known terrorists.