April 7 (Reuters) - Gold prices drifted higher on Tuesday, with market attention on U.S. President Donald Trump's looming deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or risk devastating attacks on its infrastructure.
Spot gold was up 0.8% at $4,684.59 per ounce by 2:33 p.m. ET (1833 GMT). U.S. gold futures settled unchanged at $4,684.70.
"The gold market is treading water ahead of this evening's U.S.-imposed 8 p.m. Eastern Time deadline. It is on hold as traders wait to see what happens, as the event could be impactful," said Jim Wyckoff, senior analyst at Kitco Metals.
IRAN SHOWS NO SIGNS OF CONCEDING
Strikes on Iran intensified throughout the day, but Iran showed no sign of accepting Trump's ultimatum to open the Strait by the end of Tuesday. The U.S. president said "a whole civilisation will die tonight" unless Tehran reached a last-minute deal.
"Gold traders are more focused on what central banks might do with their interest rates than they are about geopolitics. If major economies hold off on lowering interest rates, that can be extrapolated to mean less demand for gold," Wyckoff said.
Spot gold has fallen about 11% since the Iran war began.
Oil prices have surged since the Iran conflict intensified supply concerns. Higher energy costs feed into inflation, leaving central banks with little leeway to cut interest rates. Although gold is a hedge against inflation, it is less attractive in a high-rate environment as it offers no yield.
The market is also focused on minutes from the Federal Reserve's meeting in March, which will be released on Wednesday. Additionally, U.S. Personal Consumption Expenditures data is due on Thursday, and the Consumer Price Index on Friday.
Elsewhere, China's central bank continued gold purchases for a 17th consecutive month, data showed.
Among other metals, spot silver dipped 1% to $72.03 per ounce, platinum shed 2% to $1,939.15, and palladium fell 2% to $1,455.63.
Reporting by Ashitha Shivaprasad in Bengaluru; editing by Barbara Lewis and Diti Pujara
