By Andy Bruce and David Milliken LONDON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - The Bank of England kept interest rates on hold on Thursday but warned they might have to go up if the Iran war drags on, while predicting British inflation will top 4% early next year.

The Venezuelan government and the opposition are close to an agreement to ​transfer the central bank's gold reserves, worth about $4 billion, to the Federal ‌Reserve Bank of New York from the Bank of England,