Financial Tribune - Iran’s budget deficit came in bigger than expected in the first half of the current year (March 21-Sept. 22) to reach 372.3 trillion rials ($2.65 billion), latest data released by the Central Bank of Iran show.

The shortfall was larger than the budget law’s forecast of 164.3 trillion rials ($1.17 billion) for the six-month period while it is 105.5% more compared with the deficit of the preceding year’s corresponding period.

This is while in fiscal 2017-18, the deficit came in 28.8% smaller than the year before.