Joe Kent Says Iran Wasn’t On Verge Of Getting Nukes

Former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Joe Kent said Wednesday that Iran was not on the verge of obtaining nuclear weapons.

President Donald Trump’s administration maintained that the strikes against Iran were necessary to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Kent said on “The Tucker Carlson Show” that the U.S. government had no intelligence suggesting that Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon.

“No, they weren’t three weeks ago when this started, and they weren’t in June either. The Iranians have had a religious ruling, a fatwa, against actually developing a nuclear weapon since 2004,” Kent said. “That’s been in place since 2004, that’s available in the public sphere. But also we had no intelligence to indicate that that fatwa was being disobeyed or that it was on the cusp of being lifted.” (RELATED: Joe Kent Allegedly Under Investigation By FBI)

Tucker Carlson: “Was Iran on the verge of getting a nuclear weapon?”

Joe Kent: “No. They weren’t three weeks ago when this started, and they weren’t in June either.” pic.twitter.com/YQX3nHOnP7

— The American Conservative (@amconmag) March 18, 2026

The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Kent resigned from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Tuesday, stating that he could not support the Iran war in good conscience. He disputed the administration’s claims that Iran posed an imminent threat, suggesting that Israeli officials influenced the U.S. to assist them in launching the strikes.

Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other administration officials emphasized that the strikes were intended to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and to destroy its ballistic missile programs. The administration also launched strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, which included Natanz, Esfahan and Fordow, on June 22, 2025.

In June 2025, Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier that Iran couldn’t be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon under any circumstances.

Since entering the latest conflict on Feb. 28, the administration has yet to specify how Iran posed an imminent threat against the U.S. Trump’s letter to Congress justifying the strikes said they were intended to “neutralize Iran’s malign activities” and “advance vital United States national interests.”

Rubio said in early March that the administration knew the Israelis were going to attack Iran, which he said in turn would cause Iran to take action against American forces and cause higher casualties.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.