New Delhi, Feb. 20 -- Gold and silver held firm on Friday, 20 February, with investors gravitating toward safe-haven assets amid rising Middle East tensions and military mobilisation by both Iran and the US, despite the US Dollar Index being on course for its biggest weekly surge since October.

The April futures contract on Comex jumped $71 per troy ounce to a day's high of $5,068, positioning itself to extend its weekly winning run to a third consecutive week.

Statements from the US and Iran indicate a potential war in the Middle East. US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Thursday that it must make a deal over its nuclear programme or "really bad things" would happen and set Tehran a deadline of 10 to 15 days to cooperate.

At the ...