Peter Thiel’s Critique of U.S. Actions in Iran
Billionaire investor Peter Thiel has expressed his disapproval of the United States’ war with Iran, which is quite a shift for someone who has been a staunch supporter of President Trump. This comes just under two weeks before the midterm elections.
Thiel, co-founder of Palantir and PayPal with a net worth of around $37 billion, reportedly made his comments during a private event on October 12 while giving a lecture in Nashville.
“I’m skeptical of [the war], I think we shouldn’t have done it,” he noted in audio recordings acquired by Politico. “There were a lot of mistakes that were made.”
He further reflected, “Maybe we don’t have the hard power. Maybe we’re going to lose the soft power war,” suggesting some hesitation about America’s current strategic position.
Throughout the lecture, Thiel emphasized his opposition to neoconservative approaches and conflicts in the Middle East, yet he reaffirmed his support for Trump.
This is one of the clearest criticisms from a close Trump ally regarding the president’s military actions in Iran, which commenced earlier this year in February.
Thiel has been a notable figure in Silicon Valley, being the first to support Trump during the 2016 election—donating $1.25 million to the campaign and speaking at the Republican National Convention.
As Republicans face uphill battles to maintain congressional seats amid rising economic concerns among voters, the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has notably impacted global energy prices, pushing gasoline prices over $4 a gallon and threatening to increase costs for various goods.
During his Nashville lecture, Thiel also raised alarms about the International Criminal Court’s influence, echoing sentiments from high-profile members of the Bush administration, including Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. He mentioned, “I read the Cheney family’s Trump derangement syndrome as an attempt to buy favor with the [International Criminal Court] and avoid prosecution. Probably too late,” indicating a concern over possible legal ramifications for the Trump administration.
Thiel suggested that a potential ICC arrest warrant could be a looming threat for the administration, especially as it continues its military involvement in Iran.
Additionally, he shared insights from a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that took place in early 2024, following a terrorist attack by Hamas in October 2023. Thiel recounted Netanyahu stating, “I can’t just Dresden-ize it,” likely alluding to the devastating bombing of Dresden during World War II that caused immense civilian casualties.
