NEW YORK, March 20. /TASS/. Agreements between Washington and Tehran that would allow the conflict to end are still possible, Joe Kent, who previously stepped down as head of the counterterrorism center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence due to disagreements over military operations against the Islamic Republic, said.
"I think right now there is a potential still for a deal," he said in a YouTube podcast with US reporter Scott Horton. "I think only [US leader] Donald Trump can do it. I think he's got to address the Israeli issue first and foremost and demand and force them to stop going on the offense," the former counterterrorism official added.
According to Kent, statements by the US administration regarding the possibility of exempting Iranian oil from sanctions may indicate Washington’s willingness to end the conflict. He expressed hope that the US is "moving in that direction." "But I think the timing is crucial. I think we have a lot of potential right now to get that deal," Kent noted.
In a statement released on March 17, Kent admitted that Iran "posed no imminent threat" to the United States. It is perfectly clear that Washington "started this war under pressure from Israel" and its "powerful lobby," he wrote.