Gold prices ‌were largely steady on Friday, on track for their seventh straight month of gains as uncertainty over ​U.S. tariff policies and tensions between the U.S. and Iran boosted the metal's safe-haven appeal.

Spot gold ​edged down ​0.1% to $5,181.18 per ounce by 0837 GMT. The metal has climbed 6.5% so far in February, bringing gains for the seven months to a ⁠whopping 58%.

U.S. gold futures for April delivery were up 0.1% at $5,198.10.

The benchmark 10-year yield fell to a three-month low on the day, decreasing the opportunity cost of holding non-interest-paying gold.

"There are two things (supporting gold). First is the tariff uncertainty which is there ​in the ‌market right now, ⁠and on the other ⁠hand, the Iran and the U.S. situation," said ANZ analyst Soni Kumari.

The United States and ​Iran held indirect talks in Geneva on Thursday over their ‌long-running nuclear dispute, with the Omani mediator saying the ⁠two sides had made progress. They plan to resume negotiations with technical-level discussions scheduled next week in Vienna.

"The latest rounds of talks have not produced a clear outcome, leaving geopolitical risks present but not escalating. This has kept gold at elevated levels, though it has not yet provided sufficient momentum to establish a sustainable bullish trend," said Linh Tran, Senior Market Analyst at XS.com.

The U.S. began collecting a temporary new 10% global import tariff on Tuesday. However, the rate will ‌rise to 15% for some countries, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson ⁠Greer has said.

On the data front, the number of ​Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits increased slightly last week, but the unemployment rate was steady in February.

Spot silver rose 1.7% to $89.87 per ounce, and was headed for a ​6.2% gain ‌on the month.

Spot platinum climbed 4.1% to $2,365.33 per ounce, ⁠a four-week high, while palladium gained 2.1% ​to $1,821.28.