BENGALURU - Gulf equities were mixed in early trade on Monday as oil prices inched up, while investors weighed the potential fallout on the dollar and interest rates from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell being threatened with a criminal indictment.

Oil, a key catalyst for Gulf markets, edged higher on supply concerns after escalating protests in Iran, although moves were capped by efforts to restart Venezuelan exports and expectations of an oversupplied market this year.

Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index .TASI gained 0.6%, with broad-based advances led by materials, real estate and communication services.

Saudi Arabian Mining Co 1211.SE rose 4.7% and Dar Al Arkan Real Estate 4300.SE added 3.6% after its international arm, Dar Global DARD.L, said on Sunday it will launch two Trump-branded luxury projects in Riyadh and Jeddah with a combined value of $10 billion, according to CEO Ziad El Chaar.

The Qatari benchmark index .QSI edged up 0.2%, supported by Dukhan Bank DUBK.QA, up 1.1%, and Qatar Aluminum Manufacturing Company QAMC.QA, up 1%.

Dubai's benchmark stock index .DFMGI slipped 0.3%, weighed down by losses in real estate, industrial and financial stocks; Emaar Properties EMAR.DU fell 1% and Dubai Investments DINV.DU dropped 1.7%.

The Abu Dhabi benchmark index .FTFADGI eased 0.2%. Alpha Dhabi Holding ALPHADHABI.AD fell 1% and ADNOC Gas ADNOCGAS.AD slid 1.2%, while ESG Emirates Stallions Group ESG.AD rose 2.8% after its subsidiary signed development agreements with Rotana Hotels & Resorts to build residential towers in Abu Dhabi valued at about 900 million dirhams ($245 million).

Powell said on Sunday the Trump administration had threatened him with a criminal indictment and served grand jury subpoenas over congressional testimony he gave last summer on a Fed building renovation project, which he described as a "pretext" to pressure the central bank to cut rates.

Traders now see a 95% chance the Fed keeps rates unchanged this month, while the odds of a quarter-point cut in March have fallen to about 26.5%.

Gulf markets often track shifts in U.S. rate expectations, as most regional currencies are pegged to the dollar.

($1 = 3.6728 UAE dirham)

(Reporting by Md Manzer Hussain; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)