Wars In Ukraine, Israel, Iran Are Driving Platinum Higher. How You Can Cash In

Platinum’s “supercycle” moment has arrived. And it could leave some investors reaping big dividends thanks to a new Department of Defense directive.

You and I are old enough to have watched the Berlin Wall collapse in real time. But what most people don’t know is that in the 40 years leading up to that moment, a far more silent war was being waged.

Many would later come to know it as the “Commodities War.”

You saw it in 1973, when Middle Eastern countries weaponized oil against America. And you saw it again in 1980, when President Carter banned wheat and grain sales to the USSR after Soviet tanks rolled into Afghanistan.

This silent war was fought time and again over all other kinds of commodities, including platinum, cobalt, titanium, nickel, natural gas, and even uranium – the original Cold War metal.

In fact, as the USSR built up for its invasion of Afghanistan, platinum prices surged by more than 500% in just 3 years, rocketing from around $150 an ounce in 1977 to over $1,000 by early 1980.

And now, due to the geopolitical conflicts around the world, platinum has once more emerged as a “supercycle” metal.

The War In Ukraine

Now, Russia is the world’s second-largest platinum producer.

But after the 2022 sanctions were enacted in response to its invasion of Ukraine, Western banks refused to process payments for platinum mined in Russia. Then the London Platinum and Palladium Market delisted Russian refiners. And finally, shipping lines and insurers stopped touching Russian cargoes.

“Traders[1] are concerned that buyers and manufacturers will be wary of anything from Russia.”

– ETF Database

The effect was the same as a physical shortage, because 500,000 ounces of annual supply that had been available one month was gone the next.

And in the years that followed, platinum prices surged by 74%.

Then The War In Iran

Since the start of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026, American and Israeli forces have expended more precision munitions in the first 40 days than in all of Operation Desert Storm.

Altogether, stockpiles of key missile defense systems – such as Patriot and THAAD interceptors, as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles – have now hit historic lows.

And the Pentagon’s own watchdog and the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, warn replenishment could take years, as we’ve consumed years’ worth of production.

“Rebuilding[2] to prewar levels…will take from 1 to 4 years as missiles in the pipeline are delivered.”

– Center for Strategic & International Studies

What Platinum Does 

It all comes down to one word: heat.

Every advanced missile defense system in the U.S. arsenal relies on extreme-temperature propulsion and guidance systems.

And because platinum remains stable at the high temperatures that melt steel and titanium, military engineers use it to protect missile turbines, temperature sensors, and engines.

Simply put:

Without platinum, these advanced weapons cannot fly, they cannot hit their targets, and they cannot be manufactured at scale.

In addition, defense briefings[3] show platinum is used “extensively in defence and aerospace applications, from avionics and electronics to lasers and optical systems, including night-vision goggles… and missile nose cones.”

The New Department Of War Directive

Recognizing this critical vulnerability, the Pentagon has invoked sweeping new production mandates.

In fact[4], Deputy Secretary of War Steve Feinberg recently issued a stark memo to industry leaders, giving them just 21 days to submit plans for “significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities.”

Feinberg made the Pentagon’s position[5] crystal clear:

“Years-long development cycles are not acceptable. We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now.”

To achieve this, the new mandate requires all prime defense contractors to source critical minerals exclusively from non-adversarial nations.

And so, while the Pentagon must have platinum to rebuild the arsenal, contractors are now legally barred from using the cheapest available (Russian) source without risking massive compliance penalties.

In effect, this new mandate forces defense contractors to scramble for the exact same shrinking pool of platinum that the automotive, medical, and emerging hydrogen energy sectors are already fighting over.

And yet, the defense demand doesn’t stop at missile technology.

When you add aircraft engines, naval propulsion sensors, military vehicle catalytic converters, and the broader military-grade defense electronics sector, the defense industry’s platinum demand compounds exponentially.

Ultimately, every new fighter jet, every nuclear submarine, and every armored tactical vehicle rolling off the assembly line requires a non-negotiable amount of this irreplaceable metal.

So you see, the stage is set for a historic squeeze. But the question remains:

How Can You Capitalize on Platinum?

To answer that, you first have to understand why 99% of Americans will miss out on this supercycle entirely.

Most folks think the only way to play platinum is to buy physical coins and hide them in a home safe.

But that’s not how the smart money plays the Commodities War.

Instead, savvy retirement savers are using a little-known, entirely legal provision in the U.S. tax code that allows you to hold physical, IRS-approved platinum coins inside your retirement account.

It’s Called A Self-Directed Precious Metals IRA.

You see, thanks to IRS Section 408(m), you can fund a precious metals IRA by rolling over money that is already in a retirement account – a 401(k) from a former employer, a 403(b), a 457(b), a Thrift Savings Plan, or a traditional IRA.

The best part is that doing so is completely tax-free and penalty-free.

But the real magic happens on the back end.

As the Pentagon’s demand shock sends platinum prices higher, every cent of these “supercycle profits” compounds inside your retirement account completely tax-deferred.

Bank of America alone projects[6] a 64% spike in platinum prices by December 2026.

IRS-Approved Platinum Products

The IRS is incredibly strict about what goes into a Precious Metals IRA. You can’t just buy any random platinum coin and stash it in your account.

To be IRS-approved, the platinum must meet a minimum purity standard of .9995 fine (99.95% pure).

Fortunately, there are several highly liquid, globally recognized options that easily clear this hurdle, including:

American Eagle 1 oz Platinum Coin BU The only platinum coin produced by the U.S. Mint and backed by the full faith of the U.S. government.		Canadian Maple Leaf 1 oz Platinum Coin BU Renowned for its flawless .9995 purity and iconic design.
American Eagle 1 oz Platinum Proof Coin	2020 Striped Marlin 1/3 oz Platinum Coin BU	2021 Platinum Rose Crown Guinea Coin 1/3 oz BU	IRA-Approved Platinum Bars. Size and type based on availability.

Here’s How to Get Started

Our dedicated in-house IRA department can walk you through how to roll over your savings into platinum and do so tax-free and penalty-free. We work with custodians and depositories nationwide, and as set out on our services page, every IRA depository we work with is insured by Lloyd’s of London for the value of the holdings.

1 https://etfdb.com/gold-silver-investing-content-hub/palladium-and-platinum-present-chaos-opportunity/
2 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-rearms-iran-ceasefire-advanced-munitions-supplies/
3 https://platinuminvestment.com/about/60-seconds-in-platinum/2025/08/20
4 https://www.defensenews.com/news/pentagon-congress/2026/09/21/the-pentagon-asked-industry-how-fast-it-could-make-more-weapons-the-numbers-remain-private/
5 https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/08/pentagon-presses-defense-firms-build-weapons-iran-war-depletes-stocks/
6 https://investingnews.com/platinum-palladium-forecast/