PRECIOUS-Gold climbs as Middle East peace hopes push oil and dollar lower

(Updates with European trading)

* Oil prices fall below $100 a barrel

* Dollar eases as investors move out of the safe-haven currency

* US markets closed for Memorial Day holiday

By Noel John

May 25 (Reuters) - Gold rose more than 1% on Monday as hopes of a peace deal to end the Iran war sent the dollar and oil prices lower, easing fears of inflation and higher-for-longer interest rates.

Spot gold was up 1.1% at $4,559.69 an ounce by 0931 GMT and U.S. gold futures for June delivery gained 0.9% to $4,561.30. U.S. markets were closed for Memorial Day. The market remained optimistic despite the U.S. and Iran playing down the chances of an imminent deal after U.S. President Donald Trump had said on Saturday that the two countries had largely negotiated a memorandum of understanding on an agreement that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The two sides remain at odds on several difficult issues that must be resolved if they are to bring an end to the three-month-old war.

Equities rallied while oil prices fell below $100 a barrel and hit two-week lows, with the dollar hovering around a one-week low.

"Financial assets are strongly influenced by oil prices at present, and gold prices are not an exception," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.

"Lower oil prices lift gold, in anticipation that it impacts the monetary policy of the Federal Reserve," Staunovo said, adding that he expects this trend to continue in the near term.

Gold has fallen by about 14% since the Iran war began in late February, supported by elevated energy prices that have sparked inflation concerns and the prospect of higher U.S. interest rates.

Traders now see a 40% chance of the Fed raising U.S. interest rates by 25 basis points in December. That represents a sharp shift from expectations before hostilities erupted, when economists widely predicted two rate cuts this year. Kevin Warsh was sworn in as chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve on Friday at a pivotal moment for the American economy as surging gasoline prices resulting from the Middle East conflict fuel inflation and erode consumer sentiment.

Spot silver climbed 3.1% to $77.86 an ounce, platinum rose 2.1% to $1,962.93 and palladium was up 2.8% at $1,386.47.

(Reporting by Noel John in Bengaluru Editing by David Goodman)