Top US Counterterror Official Steps Down Amid Tensions with Iran

Mojtaba Khamenei, the new leader of Iran, has rejected a proposal to de-escalate the ongoing conflict, which was conveyed to Tehran by intermediaries, marking a significant development in the war between Iran and the US.

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On the same day, Joe Kent, the Director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, who advises US President Donald Trump and the Director of National Intelligence on terror threats, tendered his resignation, citing his opposition to the war with Iran.

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Kent's resignation is the most high-profile departure from the Trump administration since the war began, and it came as Israel claimed to have killed Ali Larijani, a pivotal figure in Iranian politics and the National Security Chief, in overnight strikes.

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If confirmed, Larijani's death would make him the most senior Iranian figure to die in the war, after the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the conflict, and would deal a significant blow to the Iranian regime.

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Israel's Defence Minister, Israel Katz, also announced that a separate strike had killed Gholamreza Soleimani, the Commander of the Basij Paramilitary Force, along with other senior Basij figures, further escalating the conflict.

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The United Nations has warned that the ongoing war could have devastating humanitarian consequences, with millions more people facing acute hunger if the conflict continues through to June, and 45 million additional people at risk of being pushed into acute hunger due to price rises.

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Carl Skau, the Deputy Executive Director of the UN's World Food Programme, stated that the number of people facing acute hunger could reach an all-time record, with 319 million people already experiencing food insecurity, and shipping costs increasing by 18 percent since the war began.

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Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, has stated that the UAE could join an international effort, led by the US, to ensure the safety and security of the Strait of Hormuz, although the country is not currently engaged in active talks with Iran.

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Joe Kent, in his resignation letter, expressed his belief that Iran posed no imminent threat to the US and that the war was sparked by pressure from Israel and its American lobby, referencing his wife's death in a war "manufactured by Israel".

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Kent also praised Trump's past military actions, including the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020, as examples of the president's ability to apply military power decisively without getting drawn into "never-ending wars".

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Kent's resignation letter echoed criticism from influential figures in Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement, who have condemned the president for entering into the war with Iran despite campaign pledges to end long-term US military engagement and put America First.