Gold Slips for 10th Straight Session as Fed Rate-cut Hopes Fade

• Iran denies talks with US
• Trump postpones strikes on Iranian power grid
• Oil remains above $100 a barrel
• Silver, platinum and palladium down over 2%

March 24 (Reuters) - Gold prices fell more than 1% on Tuesday, extending their slide to a tenth straight session, pressured by a firm U.S. dollar and fading hopes for near-term Federal Reserve interest rate cuts.

Spot gold XAU= declined 1.5% to $4,340.63 per ounce, as of 0418 GMT, losing about 22% in 10 sessions.

In the previous session, the metal fell to $4,097.99 per ounce, its lowest level since November 24, before paring some losses.

U.S. gold futures GCcv1 for April delivery slipped 1.5% to $4,340.90.

The dollar strengthened on Tuesday, making greenback-priced bullion more expensive for holders of other currencies. USD/

Markets are pricing in interest rate hikes, "reasoning that the war in Iran will drive inflation. That global central banks will turn more hawkish as a result has been pushing gold lower," said Ilya Spivak, head of global macro at Tastylive.

For gold, the immediate support levels are at $4,275 and $4,000, while the resistance is seen at $4,650 and $4,840, said Spivak.

Spot gold prices have fallen about 18% since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran started on February 28, with the dollar emerging as one of the clearest safe-haven winners.

On Monday, Iran denied any negotiations with the U.S. after President Donald Trump postponed a threat to bomb Iran's power grid, citing what he described as productive talks with unnamed Iranian officials.

A Pakistani official and a second source told Reuters that direct talks to end the conflict could take place in Islamabad as early as this week.

Oil prices held above $100 a barrel after Tehran denied it had discussed ending the Middle East war with Washington. O/R

Higher crude prices tend to fuel inflation by pushing up transport and manufacturing costs. Although rising inflation typically boosts gold's appeal as a hedge, high interest rates weigh on demand for the non-yielding asset.

Spot silver XAG= lost 3.4% to $66.80 per ounce. Spot platinum XPT= fell 2.1% to $1,841.68 and palladium XPD= shed 2.7% to $1,395.25.