By Roushni Nair and Sherin Sunny

March 13 (Reuters) - Most Asian equities and currencies fell on Friday as fresh attacks in Gulf waters kept crude near $100 a barrel, strengthening inflation fears and driving investors toward the safety of the U.S. dollar.

MSCI's emerging market stock index .MSCIEF fell 1% on Friday and is down nearly 8% since late February, while the EM currency gauge .MIEM00000CUS slipped 0.3% and is off about 2% over the same stretch.

The dollar index =USD reached its highest level since November 28, thanks to its safe-haven appeal and also because the U.S. is a net energy exporter.

Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz - the route for a fifth of global oil supply - closed, even as Washington tried to ease supply constraints with a 30‑day waiver on stranded Russian crude.

The strains from the war are spilling into the real economy, with airlines flagging fuel concerns and flight cancellations leaving travellers stranded. Governments in India, Thailand and the Philippines have moved to prioritise household liquefied natural gas supplies.

Meanwhile, Thailand demanded an apology from Iran after a Thai vessel was hit by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, causing a fire and forcing the crew to abandon ship.

Jakarta's .JKSE stocks fell more than 2% on Friday, marking a third straight session of declines. Year‑to‑date losses were nearly at 17%, the weakest in the region.

Indonesia has been hit by worries over policy credibility after Moody's and Fitch both cut the sovereign outlook to negative, although some of those concerns eased after cabinet appointments on Thursday.

Thai stocks .SETI and South Korean shares .KS11 fell more than 1.6% each, while Taiwan .TWII and Malaysia .KLSE lost over 0.6% apiece. The Philippines .PSI fell 0.5% and India .NSEI declined 0.8%.

South Korea and Taiwan have been among the worst-hit equity markets in emerging Asia as investors cut exposure to artificial intelligence and other tech-cyclicals after a powerful early-year run left valuations stretched.

South Korea has hit circuit breakers twice in the past two weeks, and has also activated sidecar measures - brief trading pauses used to cool sudden spikes in index‑futures or program trades.

In currencies, the Indian rupee INR=IN fell to a lifetime low on Friday.

China's yuan CNY=CFXS was one of the few regional gainers against its major trading partners, with a key trade‑weighted measure showing it reached its strongest level of the year on March 6.

Bank Negara Malaysia data also showed daily FX turnover was at $21.09 billion on March 12, suggesting market conditions remained orderly.

MUFG's Lloyd Chan said investors were increasingly expecting tighter stances from several regional central banks, while any delay in easing of rates in the U.S. would support the dollar and keep Asian currencies under pressure.

HIGHLIGHTS:

** Thai consumer confidence rises in February

** India's Modi speaks to Iran's President Pezeshkian

** Malaysia increases petrol subsidies spending to keep fuel price steady

(Reporting by Roushni Nair & Sherin Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair)

((Roushni.nair@thomsonreuters.com))