Billionaire tech mogul Peter Thiel has said the Iran war was a mistake and should not have happened, in a major break with Donald Trump. Thiel, who co-founded the US tech firm Palantir, has long been a fierce supporter of the Republican Party and fellow-billionaire Trump. The tech boss has donated millions to conservative groups and Republican politicians, but a leaked audio caught the investor turning on Trump over the Iran war.
This comes less than two weeks before the all-important midterm elections in the US, where voters could express their lack of support for the war via the ballot papers.
Thiel's scepticism at private event
Thiel at a private event on October 12 shared his scepticism for Trump's war with Tehran, which has been raging since the end of February. In audio obtained by Politico, the Palantir co-founder said: "I'm sceptical of [the war], I think we should not have done it. There were a lot of mistakes that were made."
He added: "Maybe we don't have the hard power. Maybe we're going to lose the soft power war." Despite his criticism of the Iran war, Thiel said he still backed Trump as US President.
Trump's criticism of allies
Trump has previously slammed US allies for not jumping to help the US and Israel in their conflict. In March, Trump accused Nato members of making a "foolish mistake" by not helping the US with the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively blocked at the start of the conflict.
In July, Trump criticised Nato members again and said he was "very upset" with the alliance as members "didn't want to help us with the number one state sponsor of terror, that's Iran".
Political and diplomatic context
The Iran war and rising prices at the petrol pumps has been a key talking point in the lead up to the elections, which will take place on November 3. A poll by Ipsos found that 51% of Americans did not think the US military action in Iran was worth it and 22% were unsure, in April.
Reports suggested the US could attack Iran in early November, after the midterm elections. It has been claimed Israel planned to strike Iran in mid-October, but Trump rejected this plan, according to NPR.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to Iranian state media on Thursday, said: "We are just as prepared for diplomacy as we are for war. Any scenario is conceivable, including the possibility of an attack by the U.S. and Israel."
