Joe Kent: Why Trump went to war

📰 Subscribe to UnHerd today at: https://bit.ly/3Qdkd5y UnHerd's Freddie Sayers meets Joe Kent. Watch it on the UnHerd website: https://unherd.com/2026/03/joe-kent-why-i-resigned-over-iran/ Listen to the podcast: https://plnk.to/unherd?to=page Advertise on UnHerd @ [email protected] UnHerd's Freddie Sayers speaks with Joe Kent, the former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, in his first international interview since his resignation from the Trump administration. A highly decorated Green Beret and CIA veteran, Kent became the most senior official to step down in protest of the ongoing war in Iran, which he describes as a ‘quagmire’ driven by external pressure rather than national interest. In this wide-ranging conversation, Kent alleges that the U.S. was misled into the conflict by the Israel lobby, shares personal reflections on the death of his wife in a ‘manufactured’ war, and raises questions about the investigation into the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Follow UnHerd on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/unherd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unherd/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unherd/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unherdtv //TIMCODES// 00:00 - 01:00 - Introducing Joe Kent 01:00 - 05:00 - Hawks, restrainers and Israeli influence 05:00 - 10:00 - Israel lobby and enrichment policy 10:00 - 11:20 - Inside the 12-day war debates 11:20 - 12:35 - Why Kent stayed in the job 12:35 - 13:20 - Trying to influence Trump from outside 13:20 - 14:32 - Venezuela operation and lessons 14:32 - 16:27 - Why Iran isn’t another Venezuela 16:27 - 18:28 - Can Trump find an off‑ramp? 18:28 - 20:00 - Restraining Israel and antisemitism accusations 20:00 - 22:35 - Israel criticism vs antisemitism 22:35 - 25:17 - Charlie Kirk killing and foreign leads 25:17 - 28:02 - Blocked investigation, DOJ and FBI 28:02 - 30:48 - Personal loss and the cost of war 30:48 - 34:20 - Potential Iran scenarios and fears 34:20 - 36:06 - Energy fallout, dollar risk and closing 36:06 - 38:43 - Outro #UnHerd #JoeKent #Iran