** Australian gold stocks .AXGD rise 2.3%, set for their best day since March 2, tracking firming gold prices as fears of prolonged oil supply disruption eased GOL/

** Session marks a breather after three consecutive sessions of declines

** Bullion had been under pressure from a stronger U.S. dollar and concerns that inflation driven by the Iran conflict could keep interest rates elevated

** Pantoro Gold PNR.AX jumps 10%, Bellevue Gold BGL.AX up 3.3% and Ora Banda Mining OBM.AX adds 7.6%

** All three top movers on benchmark S&P/ASX 200 .AXJO index, which is up 0.2%

** YTD, sub-index down 6.8% vs AXJO's 1.3% fall; In 2025, AXGD gained 123.5% vs benchmark's 6.8% advance

(Reporting by Shruti Agarwal in Bengaluru)

((Shruti.Agarwal@thomsonreuters.com ))