Peter Thiel criticizes the US-Iran war and says that Washington should not have started it: “Perhaps we do not possess the necessary military force. Perhaps we will lose the war for influence”

Billionaire Peter Thiel, one of the most prominent Republican donors and a former mentor to Vice President JD Vance, criticized the war between the United States and Iran, saying that Washington should not have started it. The remarks were made on October 12 at a private conference in Nashville and were reported by Politico, which obtained an audio recording.

“I’m skeptical of the war; I don’t think we should have started it. Many mistakes were made,” Thiel said. He warned that the United States might not have the military strength it needs and could even lose the war for influence.

Although he criticized the intervention, Thiel reaffirmed his support for Donald Trump and attacked neoconservatives and wars in the Middle East. He also argued that an International Criminal Court warrant would put pressure on the Trump administration.

Thiel’s position puts him at odds with the president over one of the administration’s main foreign policy decisions. The remarks come ahead of congressional elections, in which Republicans are trying to retain their majority.

A co-founder of PayPal and Palantir and Facebook’s first major investor, Thiel supported Trump in 2016. He also funded JD Vance’s Senate campaign, helping launch the political career of the current vice president. Vance, for his part, expressed skepticism about a U.S. attack on Iran before the war began.