Dec 10, 2017

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani promised high economic growth as he laid out next year's budget on Sunday, despite uncertainty over whether the United States will pull out of the nuclear deal.

Presenting the budget to parliament, Rouhani said overall economic growth would hit 6.5 percent in the fiscal year starting in March 2018, and seven percent with the oil sector excluded.

Significant economic growth was a cornerstone of Rouhani's campaign when he was re-elected in May

.

The government has also forecast 6.5 percent growth for this year but other estimates have been less optimistic.