Former US National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent has repeated his call for American troops to be withdrawn from the Middle East, warning that continued deployment risks a mass-casualty attack amid the ongoing conflict with Iran. His comments come as the United States is reportedly engaged in a ninth consecutive night of strikes on Iran, and follow the death of a US service member in Iraq, with troops separately recovering unidentified remains linked to an attack in Jordan.

Writing on X on Sunday, Kent argued that President Trump still has sufficient political capital domestically to frame a withdrawal as a declared victory, but cautioned this advantage would disappear if American forces suffered further casualties. He urged an immediate exit to "break the escalation trap" rather than risk deeper US military involvement. Fox News Digital said it had contacted the White House for comment on Monday but had not yet received a response.