- US President Trump said Joseph Kent's resignation was a "good thing"
- Trump described Kent as a "nice guy" but "weak on security"
- Trump made these remarks during a White House press briefing
US President Donald Trump said that it was a "good thing" that Joseph Kent, the head of the National Counterterrorism Centre, resigned because he claimed that Iran was not a threat.
Speaking during a press briefing at the Oval Office, Trump said, "Well, I read his statement. I always thought he was a nice guy, but he was always weak on security."
"When I read his statement, I realised that it's a good thing that he is out because he said that Iran was not a threat. Iran was a threat to every country," Trump said.
The US president said that if someone in his administration did not believe Iran was a threat, "we don't want those people."
"They're not smart people, or they're not savvy people," Trump said. "Iran was a tremendous threat."
Trump has offered shifting reasons for the strikes and has pushed back on claims that Israel forced the US to act. Earlier this month, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., suggested that the White House believed Israel was determined to act on its own, leaving the Republican president with a "very difficult decision".
Why Joseph Kent Resigned
Kent resigned from his position over the US-Israel war against Iran. In his resignation letter, Kent said that Iran posed no "imminent threat" to the US and that Israeli pressure pushed Trump to start the war.
"I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. 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 wrote.
Read | "Cannot Support Iran War In Good Conscience": Top Trump Official Resigns
He urged Trump to rethink his decision to support the war and said that he can either pave a new way forward for the US or push the nation further into chaos.
"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," he wrote.
