US President Donald Trump’s top counterterrorism official has sensationally resigned over the Iran war, saying America was duped into launching military action.

Joseph Kent, a staunch MAGA supporter, was in charge of the ‌US National Counterterrorism Centre, which analyses and detects terrorist threats.

In a resignation letter to Trump, Kent wrote that he “cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran”.

“Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation,” he posted to X.

“It is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”

Kent has long been known for his “America first” beliefs and has said he opposes US military interventions abroad. But he accused Israel of deceiving Trump into believing that Iran posed a threat.

“Early in this administration, high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran,” Kent said.

“This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, and that, should you strike now, there was a clear path to a swift victory.

“This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war that cost our nation the lives of thousands of our best men and women. We cannot make this mistake again.”

Trump responded that he always thought Kent was “weak on security, very weak on security”.

The surprise resignation came as Trump called out Australia while lashing NATO allies for refusing to get involved in protecting the Strait of Hormuz.

Several US allies on Tuesday (AEDT) rebuffed Trump’s ‌call to send warships to escort tankers through the strait, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flow.

In a rant on Truth Social, Trump said the US didn’t need NATO’s help anyway.

“Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer “need,” or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID!

“Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea.

“In fact, speaking as President of the United States of America, by far the Most Powerful Country Anywhere in the World, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!”

Before entering Trump’s administration, Kent ran two unsuccessful campaigns for US Congress in Washington state.

He also served in the military, seeing 11 deployments as a Green Beret followed by work at the CIA. He was confirmed to his post last July.

White House spokeswoman Karoline ‌Leavitt said that Kent’s resignation letter included “false claims”.

“As ⁠President Trump has clearly and explicitly stated, he had strong and compelling evidence that Iran ​was going to attack the United States first,” Leavitt said.

“This evidence was compiled from many sources and factors.”

-with AP