Iran · 09 May, 2026 · 2 min read
Joe Kent Says U.S. Intelligence Agreed Iran Was Not Developing Nuclear Weapons
U.S. intelligence reportedly believed Iran was not developing a nuclear weapon before the war. The claim is attributed to Joe Kent, former NCC Director.
Whether US decision-making was driven by Israel misinformation.
12 of 13 outlets skipped it: TRT includes a White House spokesperson rebuttal..
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TRT World
“narrative & agenda spun by a foreign government- Israel, won the argument & forced us into this war”Read the original ↗
TRT World
““self-aggrandising resignation letter and recent comments are riddled with lies.””Read the original ↗
Challenges legitimacy of the war’s stated nuclear-threat rationale.
Kent challenges nuclear claims
Former National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent said the U.S. intelligence community agreed before the war that “Iran wasn’t developing a nuclear weapon.”
Kent wrote that “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.”
The reports tie Kent’s claims to a U.S.-Israel war on Iran launched on February 28, 2026, and to Kent’s resignation in March over disagreements about going to war with Iran.
Kent also asserted that Iran would retaliate against U.S. bases and shutter the Strait of Hormuz if attacked by Israel and the U.S., describing the intelligence community’s assessment as “properly” made.
In a resignation letter, Kent said “It is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
White House disputes Kent
The White House disputed Kent’s account, with a spokesperson telling Fox News Digital that Kent’s resignation letter and comments were “riddled with lies.” In that same statement, the spokesperson said “Most egregious are Kent’s false claims that the largest state sponsor of terrorism somehow did not pose a threat to the United States.” Kent’s resignation is described as coming in March, and he is quoted saying “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran.”
The TRT World report also says Kent resigned March 17 over disagreements to go to war with Iran, and it quotes his letter accusing “high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media” of a “misinformation campaign.” TRT World further reports that a truce mediated by Pakistan began on April 8, but Islamabad talks failed to yield a deal, and Trump later extended the truce indefinitely.
IAEA and intelligence assessments
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in an interview with Christiane Amanpour on CNN that “we have no evidence of any deliberate, systematic move by Iran toward building a nuclear weapon.” The same report quotes Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, saying “after 25 years, there is still no evidence of such a weapon existing in Iran.” A separate report from TRT فارسی says Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence of the United States, stated that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon while also warning that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium has reached its highest level.
TRT فارسی also says Gabbard warned that continued sanctions could lead to domestic unrest in Iran unless the country receives sanctions relief, and it adds that the U.S. intelligence community remains of the view that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon. In the Caspianpost and Mehr News Agency accounts, Kent’s position is that the intelligence community agreed Iran was not pursuing a nuclear weapon prior to the 40-day war on Iran.