The key facts
- Thiel: 'I'm skeptical, we shouldn't have done it' — audio recording obtained by Politico
- He doubted the US ability to hold positions: 'maybe we're losing the soft power war'
- He spoke against neoconservative policy and interventions in the Middle East, but reaffirmed his support for Trump
Thiel criticized the war with Iran
Billionaire and investor Peter Thiel expressed strong skepticism about the US war against Iran, Politico reported, citing an audio recording of his remarks. 'I'm skeptical about (the war), I think we shouldn't have done it,' Thiel said at a closed event on October 12. According to him, 'a lot of mistakes were made.'
Doubts about US capabilities
Thiel, a major donor to the Republican Party and a longtime supporter of President Donald Trump, also doubted that the US has the means to hold positions in the conflict. 'Maybe we don't have hard power. Maybe we're losing the soft power war,' he noted.
Criticism of foreign policy course
The appearance in Nashville was part of a series of lectures. According to Politico, Thiel spoke out against neoconservative foreign policy and American military interventions in the Middle East. His comments, it is reported, reflected concerns that the war could have consequences beyond the battlefield, in particular for Washington's international standing.
Support for Trump and warning about the ICC
Despite criticizing the decision to start the war, Thiel reaffirmed his support for Trump and, reportedly, sought to shield the president from possible political and legal consequences. He warned that the International Criminal Court — recently subjected to harsh American sanctions — could pose a threat to the administration in connection with the conflict, calling the possibility of an arrest warrant 'a sword of Damocles hanging over the Trump administration.'
