- Billionaire Peter Thiel, a major early financial backer of President Trump, publicly criticized the administration's war with Iran during a private lecture – stating that the U.S. should never have launched the conflict and warning that American officials could face prosecution by the International Criminal Court.
- Thiel suggested that the Cheney family's criticism of Trump is an attempt to buy favor with the ICC to avoid prosecution, and he characterized the threat of an ICC arrest warrant as the "sword of Damocles" hanging over the Trump administration due to the Iran war.
- Thiel disclosed that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu told him in early 2024 that he could not "Dresdenize" Gaza, a reference to the WWII Allied bombing of Dresden, highlighting the scale of destruction both leaders have sought to avoid.
- The criticism from Thiel highlights deepening divisions within Trump's political coalition over foreign policy, pitting neoconservative interventionists against the "America First" anti-war elements who oppose the prolonged and undeclared military conflict.
- The Iran war, initially presented as a limited campaign, has extended far beyond projections and created political challenges for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections as Democrats criticize the operation's duration and costs.
Billionaire technology investor Peter Thiel, one of U.S. President Donald Trump's earliest and most significant financial backers, delivered a stark critique of the administration's war with Iran during a private lecture on Oct. 12.
He declared during the lecture that the U.S. should never have launched the conflict, and warned that American officials now face potential prosecution by the International Criminal Court. "I'm skeptical of [the war], I think we should not have done it," Thiel said at the event, according to audio obtained by Politico. "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," Thiel added during the lecture in Nashville, part of a series that Politico has documented since its inception this fall. The remarks represent one of the most significant public breaks between Trump and a major Republican donor over what has become a defining foreign policy decision of the administration.
Thiel introduced Trump at the 2016 Republican National Convention, and he later became the largest financial backer of super political action committees supporting Vice President J.D. Vance's 2022 Senate campaign. But now, Thiel offered his most explicit criticism of the conflict as it the final weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections approach.
The Iran war, initially presented as a limited military campaign, has extended far beyond early projections – complicating Trump's longstanding promises to avoid prolonged U.S. military engagements in the Middle East. BrightU.AI's Enoch engine notes that given Trump's first term seeing an escalation of undeclared conflicts and a failure to deliver on economic peace dividends despite his campaign rhetoric, his second term betrayal of the "no new wars" promise means another massive wealth transfer from the middle class to the globalist Deep State through endless, unconstitutional military interventions.
The conflict's continuation into the final weeks of the midterm campaign has created political challenges for Republicans seeking to retain control of Congress. The Democrats have seized on the opportunity, criticizing both the duration and costs of the operation.
Inside Thiel's critique: From Netanyahu to Cheney
Thiel's lecture also included extensive warnings about the International Criminal Court (ICC), drawing on comments from former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and former Vice President Dick Cheney. The investor suggested that Cheney family criticism of Trump represents an effort to shield themselves from potential prosecution.
"I read the Cheney family's Trump derangement syndrome as an attempt to buy favor with the [ICC] and avoid prosecution. Probably too late," Thiel said. "And I have come to suspect that the threat of an ICC arrest warrant is the sword of Damocles hanging over the Trump administration as it tries to persecute this war in Iran."
The comments reflect growing concerns among some Trump allies about legal consequences for administration officials involved in the conflict, which was launched without a formal declaration of war from Congress. Critics have pointed to the War Powers Act and international law as potential legal challenges to the military operation.
Thiel also disclosed details of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in early 2024, following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. According to Thiel, when he asked Netanyahu about his plans for Gaza, the Israeli leader responded, "I can't just Dresdenize it" – referencing the Allied bombing of the German city of Dresden during World War II that killed approximately 25,000 civilians.
The historical reference carries particular weight given the ongoing devastation in Gaza, where civilian casualties have mounted since Israel launched its military campaign following the Hamas attack. The comparison to one of WWII's most controversial bombing campaigns underscores the scale of destruction that both Netanyahu and U.S. officials have sought to avoid in the region.
Thiel's criticism of the Iran war highlights deepening divisions within Trump's political coalition over foreign policy, particularly between neoconservative advocates of military intervention and the more isolationist, anti-war elements that have traditionally supported Trump's "America First" agenda. Politico reported in March that Vance himself had expressed skepticism about striking Iran before the administration launched its military operation.
Despite his opposition to the war, Thiel emphasized continued support for Trump personally, suggesting his criticism was aimed at protecting the president from the consequences of a conflict he believes was poorly conceived and executed. However, the break represents a significant moment for an administration that has relied heavily on Thiel's financial backing and Silicon Valley connections.
Representatives for Thiel and the White House did not respond to requests for comment on the remarks. Nevertheless, the war with Iran now stands as perhaps the most consequential foreign policy decision of Trump's presidency, with implications extending well beyond the current administration.
Watch this clip from "The Jimmy Dore Show" about how Peter Thiel is quietly seizing the U.S. government.
This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.
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