Oct 3 (Reuters) -ICE cotton futures fell over 1% on Thursday, hitting their lowest level in a week, pressured by a stronger U.S. dollar and lacklustre demand for the natural fibre.

* Cotton contracts for December CTZ4 fell 1.2 cent, or 1.6%, to 72.2 cents per lb at 12:23 p.m. EDT (1623 GMT).

* The dollar index .DXY rose to its highest in over a month against its rivals and was last up 0.3%, making cotton more expensive for other currency holders. USD/

* The U.S. dollar is strengthening as a safe haven amid Middle East tensions, while cotton exports remain weak despite a slight increase with China lagging as a buyer, said Keith Brown, principal at cotton broker Keith Brown and Co. in Georgia.

* Also, harvest activity is pushing prices lower and election concerns are adding to market uncertainty, Brown said.

* The U.S. Department of Agriculture's weekly report showed net sales of upland cotton for 2024/2025 rose 9% to 95,800 running bales from the previous week, but were down 26% from the prior 4-week average. EXP/COT

* U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast dockworkers began their first large-scale strike in nearly 50 years earlier this week, halting the flow of about half the country's ocean shipping, after negotiations for a new labor contract broke down over wages.

* "U.S. merchants may lower prices to farmers if they can't ship cotton, leading farmers to put their production in the U.S. government loan, a holding category, which wouldn't be ideal as the cotton would just sit there," Brown said.

* In other agricultural markets, Chicago wheat futures edged down after this week's surge to a 3-1/2-month high as traders monitored drought in the Black Sea region and signs of possible Russian export caps. GRA/

Reporting by Sherin Elizabeth Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri