• Gold attracts buyers for the fifth straight day amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
• The USD stands firm near its highest level since January 20 and caps the commodity.
• The overnight failure to find acceptance above $5,400 warrants some caution for bulls.

Gold (XAU/USD) sticks to its positive bias for the third straight day and trades above the $5,350 level heading into the European session on Tuesday. Concerns about a broader regional conflict in the Middle East continue to weigh on investors' sentiment and underpin demand for the traditional safe-haven bullion.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy effectively declared the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and announced that no vessels are permitted to cross the critical maritime chokepoint. Moreover, Iran continues to fire missiles and drones at several Persian Gulf countries. A drone strike that hit the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, marked a further escalation of the conflict.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the US is preparing for a major uptick in attacks in Iran over the next 24 hours. This comes after US President Donald Trump said that a big wave is yet to come, underscoring the risk of a prolonged war. Moreover, the State Department urged US citizens to depart immediately from countries in the Middle East due to serious safety risks.

The XAU/USD pair, however, remains below the $5,400 mark and its highest level since late January, set on Monday. Rising geopolitical tensions continue to underpin the US Dollar's (USD) status as the global reserve currency. Furthermore, reduced bets for aggressive easing by the Federal Reserve (Fed) assist the USD to stand firm near its highest level since January 30 and caps the the non-yielding Gold.

In the absence of any relevant US macro data, the market focus will remain glued to developments surrounding the Iran war. The price action, however, warrants caution before positioning for a further appreciating move.

XAU/USD 1-hour chart

Gold bulls seem hesitant amid mixed technical setup

Last week's breakout above the $5,200 horizontal barrier was seen as a key trigger for the XAU/USD bulls. Moreover, the Gold price holds well above the rising 100-period Simple Moving Average (SMA), keeping the broader uptrend intact despite the recent volatility.

Meanwhile, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) around 59 stays above the midline without reaching overbought conditions, reinforcing a modest upside skew rather than an extended rally. Furthermore, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) line remains below the signal line and in positive territory, with the negative histogram shrinking, which suggests fading downside momentum within a still-upward structure.

Hence, a subsequent move up could face initial resistance at the recent high around $5,390, followed by a more significant barrier at $5,410, where prior rejection coincided with stretched intraday momentum. A sustained move above $5,410 would open the way toward the $5,450 region, while failure to clear $5,390 would keep the metal consolidating within the current intraday range.

On the flip side, immediate support emerges at $5,340, with a break exposing the next downside level at $5,320, ahead of stronger backing from the 100-period SMA near $5,230. A deeper pullback would target $5,300 as an intermediate floor.

(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool.)