* Gold pares some losses, down 2%

* Brent crude falls over 12% after Trump's remarks

* Trump says he has postponed strikes on Iranian power

plants

(Updates for EMEA mid-session trade)

By Ishaan Arora and Pablo Sinha

March 23 (Reuters) - Gold pared some earlier losses on

Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would delay any

strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure.

Spot gold was down 2.2% at $4,388.22 per ounce by

1230 GMT, extending losses into a ninth straight session. Before

Trump's announcement, gold had fallen 8% at one point to a

four-month low.

Gold has fallen about 17% since the Middle East conflict

began on February 28, and has retreated about 22% from its

record peak of $5,594.82 reached on January 29. Bullion recorded

it's worst week in 43 years last week.

U.S. gold futures for April delivery fell 4.2% to

$4,382.30.

"Despite having a pretty epic collapse in the early hours,

we're seeing some bargain hunting coming in at the lower levels,

driving the market back to roughly where it ended last week. So

I suspect we've got some traditional, macro plays going on,"

said independent analyst Ross Norman.

Gold fell more than 8% earlier in the session, amid a

strengthening dollar and growing expectations of U.S. rate

rises. Rising energy prices due to the Iran war have stoked

inflation fears and while gold is considered a long-term hedge

against inflation, higher interest rates dim the non-yielding

asset's appeal.

Oil prices fell more than 13% after Trump postponed strikes

on Iranian energy infrastructure.

Trump said the U.S. has had good and productive

conversations with Iran, while Iran's Fars news agency citing a

source reported that there was no direct communication with the

U.S. or through intermediaries.

Some analysts say the broader trajectory for gold could

remain positive, with the metal up about 46% on a one-year

basis.

"Once the dust settles and the current wave of forced

selling runs its course, the outlook for gold in particular may

improve again quite sharply," said Ole Hansen, head of commodity

strategy, Saxo Bank, in a note.

Spot silver was up 0.6% at $68.16 per ounce and

platinum fell 1.3% to $1,897.17. Both metals earlier hit

their lowest levels since mid-December. Palladium climbed

3.6% to $1,454.64.