Iranian President Hassan Rouhani presented a draft state budget of about 39 billion U.S. dollars to parliament on Sunday, saying it was designed to resist U.S. sanctions by limiting dependence on oil exports.
Officials have not given figures for the oil price and export volumes used in the calculations, although the IMF has indicated Iran would need oil prices to be triple current levels to balance its budget as its crude exports have plunged.
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A year of U.S. sanctions on Iran
The United States reimposed sanctions with the aim of driving down Iranian crude sales, its main source of revenues, after Washington withdrew last year from a nuclear pact between world powers and Iran.
"This is a budget to resist sanctions ... with the least possible dependence on oil," Rouhani told parliament, according to state television.
"This budget announces to the world that despite sanctions we can manage the country," he said.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a session of parliament in Tehran, Iran, December 8, 2019. /Reuters Photo
He gave the value of the nominally balanced draft budget at 4,845 trillion rials, equivalent to 38.8 billion U.S. dollars at the free market exchange rate, for the Iranian year starting on March 20.
The new budget is 10 percent bigger than this financial year in local currency terms although its dollar value is lower due to annual inflation that is running at about 35 percent.
The budget forecasts revenues for oil, gas and condensates falling 40 percent, leaving a gap it plans to plug by using state bonds and selling state properties.
Preliminary reports by local news agencies said the budget appeared to be based on oil sales of 500,000 to one million barrels per day (bpd). Under U.S. sanctions, analysts estimate Iran's oil exports have tumbled to about 400,000 bpd or even lower, from more than 2.5 million bpd.
The International Monetary Fund has said Iran would need an oil price of 194.6 U.S. dollars a barrel to balance its budget in 2020/2021 and forecast a fiscal deficit of 4.5 percent of gross domestic product in 2019/2020 and 5.1 percent in 2020/2021.
Benchmark Brent oil LCOc1 closed at 64.38 U.S. dollars on Friday.
Analysts have said Iran had probably been forced to sell its crude at a discount to normal levels, as it seeks to entice buyers wary of violating U.S. sanctions.