World · Middle East · 1 hr ago
Peter Thiel says the US should not have gone to war with Iran
Peter Thiel said the US should not have gone to war with Iran.
He made the comments at a private lecture in Nashville on October 12, and audio of the remarks later became public.
Thiel said mistakes had been made and questioned whether the US could win the conflict or maintain its influence.
His criticism puts him at odds with Trump, whom he has supported for years as a major Republican donor.
Thiel also said he continued to support Trump and suggested he wanted to protect the president.
The disagreement stands out because Thiel is a prominent Trump ally, and it comes less than two weeks before midterm elections in which Republicans are trying to keep control of Congress.
Peter Thiel said the United States should not have launched its war with Iran.
The billionaire technology investor said he was skeptical of the war and that mistakes had been made.
His remarks put him at odds with President Donald Trump over a major foreign policy decision.
Thiel made the comments at a private event in Nashville on October 12.
He also warned that the United States could lose influence and lack the hard power to prevail.
- Who
- Peter Thiel, cofounder and chairman of Palantir Technologies.
- What
- He said the United States should not have launched the war with Iran.
- When
- October 12. The remarks were reported on October 22, 2026.
- Where
- At a private event in Nashville.
- Why
- Not stated
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Thiel said he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and asked about his plans in Gaza.
POLITICO reported that JD Vance was skeptical of the United States striking Iran before the war began.
Thiel made his remarks about the war at a private event in Nashville.
Business Insider published a report on Thiel's comments.
- Speaker
- Peter Thiel
- Position
- Cofounder and chairman of Palantir Technologies
- Event date
- October 12
- Event location
- Nashville
- Publication date
- October 22, 2026
What people are saying
I'm skeptical of [the war], I think we should not have done it
There were a lot of mistakes that were made.
Maybe we don't have the hard power. Maybe we're going to lose the soft power war.