(Kitco News) – The Iran war continues to impact the gold purchases and sales of central banks and state entities, destabilizing one of the pillars of the multi-year gold rally.On Thursday, the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) announced that they had suspended selling gold in the second quarter of 2026. The fund's gold reserves totaled 178.1 tons as of the end of June, with the yellow metal representing a 31.4% share of SOFAZ's investment portfolio.