‌Gold prices held steady on Thursday as investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of the third round ​of indirect U.S.-Iran nuclear talks in Geneva, hoping for signals on whether the negotiations could ease geopolitical ​risks.

Spot gold ​was down 0.1% at $5,165.77 per ounce at 9:19 a.m. ET (1419 GMT). U.S. gold futures for April delivery were down 0.8% at $5,182.10.

"Gold and silver are attempting to break ⁠above resistance levels at $5,200 and $90 but have failed to sustain gains so far this week, raising drawdown risks should a near-term geopolitical deal materialize," Razan Hilal, market analyst at FOREX.com, said in a note.

Iran signalled flexibility in indirect nuclear talks with the U.S. in Geneva on ​Thursday, held ‌amid rising pressure ⁠on Tehran to reach ⁠a deal as Washington ramps up its military presence in the Middle East, while mediator Oman held ​out hope that both nations would make more progress.

"There's a ‌lot of interest in how this third round of ⁠talks is going to play out. But regardless of that I think there's enough uncertainty out there right now," said Peter Grant, vice president and senior metals strategist at Zaner Metals.

Non-yielding gold is seen as a safe store of value during times of geopolitical and economic uncertainty.

Grant said he still expects the market to climb toward $5,340.72 and then $5,400, even though some short-term pullbacks are possible.

The U.S. tariff rate for some countries will rise to 15% or higher from the newly imposed 10%, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson ‌Greer said on Wednesday, without naming any specific trading partners or ⁠giving further details.

Meanwhile, the number of Americans filing new ​applications for jobless benefits increased marginally last week and the unemployment rate appeared to hold steady in February amid a stable labor market.

The market continued to expect two rate cuts this year ​by the U.S. ‌Federal Reserve.

Spot silver fell 2.8% to $86.94 per ounce. Spot platinum slid ⁠1.6% to $2,249.40 per ounce, while palladium also ​shed 1.6% to $1,766.95.

(Reporting by Anmol Choubey in Bengaluru. Editing by Mark Potter)