Peter Thiel criticizes Trump administration over Iran war

Billionaire technology investor Peter Thiel, a significant early financial supporter of Donald Trump, has publicly criticized the administration's military conflict with Iran. During a private lecture in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 12, Thiel expressed skepticism regarding the war, stating, “I think we should not have done it” and noting that “there were a lot of mistakes that were made.”

Thiel warned that the conflict could lead to the loss of American soft power and cautioned that U.S. officials could face potential prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC). He described the threat of an ICC arrest warrant as a “sword of Damocles” hanging over the administration.

Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, also referenced a 2024 conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During that meeting, Netanyahu reportedly stated he could not “Dresdenize” Gaza, referring to the heavy Allied bombing of the German city during World War II. Thiel's comments highlight growing divisions within the Republican coalition between interventionist and anti-war factions.