At any moment, President Donald Trump could decide to directly involve the United States in yet another war in the Middle East—this time against Iran.
The stakes could not be higher and this week, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., joins “The Signal Sitdown” to discuss.
“I think President Trump’s instincts are to try to keep us out of war,” Paul told The Daily Signal. “I think he has these instincts within his belief system of restraint and less intervention.” Nevertheless, Paul warned that there might be “forces within his administration that would like to get us more involved.”
The United States’ support for Israel in the war that broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, has, as of writing, been limited to assisting Israel defend against drone and missile strikes and providing Israel with intelligence, military aid, and weapons sales. At the same time, the United States was pursuing a new nuclear deal with Iran, and news reports suggested American and Iranian negotiators were getting close.
But the war entered a new phase when Israel launched Operation Rising Lion on June 13 in what the Israeli government has described as a preemptive attack on Iranian nuclear capabilities. The U.S. government has insisted this action was taken unilaterally by the Israelis but with some knowledge by the U.S. The extent of that knowledge and American policymakers’ feelings toward it remain unclear.
In the first hours of fighting, however, Israel’s strikes in Operation Rising Lion targeted not only Iran’s nuclear facilities but its nuclear scientists, as well as top military and political officials. “Senior leaders in Iran are already packing their bags,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in a June 14 video address. “They sense what’s coming.”
“The real question is, ‘How is Iran going to respond to this?’” Paul said.
“This is the difficulty of foreign policy. We can say all the things we want: ‘We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon,’” Paul explained. Yet he urged that Americans consider “how they will respond to being attacked.”
Iran has “been attacked by Israel—significant attack. Their scientists have been killed and their higher echelon of military leaders have been killed. So do you think they’ll come to the negotiating table or leave?” Paul told The Daily Signal. “I would imagine they are humiliated because they’ve been really, utterly decimated. I mean, Israel’s shown incredible military prowess. They’ve killed people at will. They rule the skies. They’ve knocked out a lot of nuclear capacity—probably not all.”
“What happens if negotiations go by the wayside?” Paul asked rhetorically. “I think that’s what we’re facing right now.”
There are no “easy” and certain answers to that question, Paul suggested. Iran “could say, ‘Well, alright, we hear you … We’re going to submit to your will.’” The other scenario is much more concerning: “Or they might respond by saying, ‘We’re going to commit the final steps to go ahead and have a weapon because the only thing that’ll keep you guys out of our country is to let you know we have a nuclear weapon.’”
The missile salvos between Tel-Aviv and Tehran continue, and America has repositioned military assets from all over the world—the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group was brought in from the Indo-Pacific and aerial fuel tankers have flown over from U.S. bases—gearing up for a potential response.
Those advocating for America’s involvement to denuclearize Iran, however, have not answered other questions. Questions such as how far is the U.S. willing to go to deny the Ayatollah the bomb? Regime change?
“Militarily, I think we can defeat Iran probably in a matter of weeks,” Paul said. “It’s what comes afterwards” that gives him pause.
“The unintended consequences in Afghanistan took 20 years,” he noted. “When we finally left, it reverted back to the stone ages within six months. We wasted a trillion dollars there. And I’m not saying we shouldn’t have gone after our enemies there. We should have, but we should have come home three months later.”
“Just the whole nation-building enterprise in Afghanistan was a huge mistake,” Paul explained. “In Iraq, we take out the main opposition to Iran. So by anybody’s estimate, Iran is more of a problem, regionally, because Saddam Hussein is gone.”
The question every American policymaker needs to ask themselves right now, Paul said, is, “What are the unintended consequences of this? Do they rush to the bomb?”
Paul’s hope is that the president ”will resist the calls of people wanting to bomb Tehran,” and get everyone back to the negotiating table. “Donald Trump, while I don’t think he’s a libertarian—although he tells me all the time ‘I’m more libertarian than you are,’ I don’t believe that’s probably true, Mr. President—but he does have some libertarian instincts.”
“My hope is still that there’s a route for diplomacy,” Paul told The Daily Signal. Such an agreement, he said, “has to be not just about nuclear weapons, it needs to be about ballistic weapons and … quit committing war and proxy wars throughout the Middle East.”
Why Bullion Beats Numismatics and Collectible for Your Safe or IRA
Precious metals continue to attract Americans seeking reliable ways to protect their wealth amid inflation, geopolitical risks, and stock market swings. Whether stored in a home safe or held inside a self-directed IRA, physical gold and silver deliver tangible value that paper or digital assets often lack. Yet investors must choose carefully between bullion—pure bars and coins valued mainly for their metal content—and numismatics or collectibles, where rarity, history, and collector demand heavily influence pricing.
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Bullion consists of refined precious metals in standard forms like one-ounce coins (American Gold Eagles, Silver Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs) or bars. Their value tracks closely to the current spot price of the metal. A typical gold bullion coin trades near the live gold spot price plus a small premium. This structure keeps costs clear and predictable.
Numismatic coins and collectibles add substantial value from factors such as age, rarity, minting errors, or historical significance. A pre-1933 U.S. gold coin or graded proof piece can carry premiums of 30%, 50%, or even 200% above melt value. While this appeals to hobbyists, it creates complexity. Pricing depends on subjective grading, collector trends, and auction results instead of daily spot prices.
For investors focused on wealth preservation and retirement security rather than building a collection, bullion often delivers better results.
Lower Costs and Better Liquidity for Home Storage
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- Selling bullion involves tight bid-ask spreads, so you recover nearly full spot value with minimal fees. Collectibles require finding the right buyer and may sell at a discount if demand for that specific item weakens.
- Bullion prices remain transparent and update with global spot markets. You can track gold near current levels or silver accordingly and know exactly where your holdings stand. Numismatic values are priced by the Gold IRA companies with hefty margins applied.
- Standardized coins and bars store efficiently and divide easily for partial sales. Rare coins often need protective slabs and controlled conditions, adding hassle and expense.
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Stronger Fit for Precious Metals IRAs
Precious metals IRAs continue gaining traction as investors diversify retirement portfolios beyond stocks and bonds. IRS rules permit certain bullion products in self-directed IRAs if they meet purity standards (.995 fine for gold, .999 for silver) and are held by an approved custodian. Eligible items include American Gold and Silver Eagles plus many generic bars and rounds from recognized mints.
Numismatic and most collectible coins generally face heavy scrutiny from custodians due to valuation disputes and elevated markups. These higher premiums mean less actual metal ends up working inside the account.
Bullion avoids these issues. Its value links directly to verifiable spot prices, which simplifies reporting and lowers the risk of regulatory challenges. More of your IRA contribution purchases real metal instead of dealer profits or speculative upside. Over time, owning additional ounces that appreciate with the metal itself can create meaningful outperformance compared with high-premium alternatives that deliver fewer ounces.
Regulatory guidance from the CFTC and state securities offices repeatedly cautions against aggressive sales of expensive numismatics or “semi-numismatic” coins for IRAs. For retirement planning, transparent bullion from established providers reduces risk and aligns better with long-term goals.
How to Get Started with Bullion
Begin by clarifying your goals. Are you protecting savings in a safe, or moving part of a retirement account into a precious metals IRA? Focus on the number of ounces you can acquire at current prices rather than chasing marked-up collectibles.
Diversify sensibly: use gold for core preservation and silver for its blend of industrial and monetary qualities. Mix coins for easier divisibility with bars for lower per-ounce costs on larger buys. Arrange secure storage—whether at home with proper insurance or through professional facilities.
As economic uncertainties linger and faith in conventional assets erodes, bullion continues proving its worth as a dependable store of value. Its direct approach avoids the hype that sometimes surrounds collectible markets and keeps the focus on the metal itself.
For investors prepared to strengthen their portfolios, Advisor Bullion supplies the expertise and selection needed to acquire high-quality bullion efficiently. Whether building personal holdings or integrating metals into an IRA, their emphasis on transparent, investment-grade products helps secure more ounces today that support greater financial security tomorrow. In a complicated financial landscape, bullion’s clarity and reliability make it the smarter foundation for protecting what matters most.