Tuesday, 17 March 2026

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) notes the explosive resignation of Joseph Kent, Director of the United States of America (US) National Counterterrorism Center. This letter is a damning confirmation of what progressive forces across the world, including the EFF, have consistently asserted: that the current war against Iran is illegal, unjustified, and built on deliberate misinformation.

The contents of the letter affirm that Iran posed no imminent threat to the US, exposing this war as one manufactured through political pressure and propaganda. This follows a well-established pattern of deception by the American military-industrial complex, reminiscent of the false pretexts used to justify invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan wars that resulted in the destruction of sovereign nations and the loss of millions of innocent lives.

It is particularly significant that this indictment comes from an individual appointed by Donald Trump himself. This shatters any illusion that dissent is limited to external critics; instead, it reveals fractures within the highest levels of the US security and intelligence establishment. The resignation corroborates prior statements from within the Pentagon and intelligence community that there was no credible or verifiable threat posed by Iran. Furthermore, this revelation lends credibility to other reports and investigations into US war crimes in Iran, including indiscriminate bombings that have resulted in the deaths of civilians, including the bombing of school that resulted in the deaths of 168 children. These incidents are part of a broader pattern of imperialist aggression carried out with impunity.

The EFF therefore reiterates, without hesitation, that this is Trump’s war. It is a war of aggression and domination, and it bears all the hallmarks of genocide. As such, we call for Donald Trump to be declared a war criminal and to be held accountable before international legal institutions.

This development also affirms the EFF’s long-held position regarding the geopolitical dynamics between the US and Israel. The letter explicitly points to undue influence in driving the war agenda, reinforcing the reality that US foreign policy in the Middle East is not guided by principles of peace or justice, but by a strategic control by Israel that prioritises imperial interests over human life.

In this context, the EFF maintains that no meaningful diplomatic engagement can normalise South Africa’s relations with the US while our principled stance at the International Court of Justice in holding Israel accountable for its crimes remains intact. Any expectation that South Africa must compromise its moral and legal obligations to appease imperial powers is both misguided and unacceptable. The EFF stands resolute in its opposition to imperialist wars and calls on all progressive nations and movements to continue uniting against this ongoing aggression. The time has come for the global community to reject the normalisation of war crimes and to demand a stop to all US and Israel-led military actions.