The former counterterrorism chief says Trump should end the war and reopen Hormuz, not gamble on another round of bombing that can trigger retaliation across the Gulf.
Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent warned President Trump that escalating the Iran war offers little gain and risks a disaster that reaches far beyond the battlefield.
“Escalating the Iran war risks disastrous consequences for very little gain,” Kent stated. “Ending the war is President Trump’s best option.”
Kent and Brett Erickson made the case in a Hill op-ed aimed directly at Trump. They urged him to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, revive the prior memorandum of understanding, or declare victory and withdraw—not launch what Trump has called “another little Operation Epic Fury.”
Their argument rests on a central fact: Iran still holds ways to make escalation costly. CENTCOM confirms Epic Fury began at presidential direction to strike Iran’s security apparatus. But eight months later, Reuters reported Gulf governments fear a renewed campaign would bring Iranian retaliation against U.S. bases, energy facilities, water infrastructure, and communications networks.
The political cost is already plain. A Pew Research Center survey of 5,062 adults found 65 percent disapproved of Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict. Seventy-three percent said they were extremely or very concerned about higher fuel prices, while 71 percent said the same about American troops being wounded or killed.
Kent and Erickson argue that another bombing campaign risks handing Iran the chance to deepen those costs without delivering a decisive American objective. Their prescription is direct: reopen Hormuz, end the war, and stop sacrificing American stability for an escalation that the enemy gets to answer.