8% Growth Target Unrealistic

The 8% growth target set in the sixth five-year development plan (2017-22) is a tall order for the country, a faculty member of Tehran's Allameh Tabatabai University said in a recent conference held at Monetary and Banking Institute.

"Economic growth will not reach 8%, but an average rate of 4-5% could be expected based on the country's economic conditions," Behrouz Hadi Zanour was also quoted as saying by MRI's website.

The general policies of the sixth plan had been announced by the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in a letter to President Hassan Rouhani in July 2015, which projected an economic growth of 8%.

"No country has ever made headway until it established an appropriate financial system and connected itself to the international banking system," he said.