Iran's GDP rose 6.7 pct in March-Sept yr/yr -cbank

TEHRAN, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Iran's economic growth reached 6.7 percent in the first half of the Iranian year which started on March 21 compared with the same period of the previous year, the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) reported.

The CBI report, posted on its Web site www.cbi.ir, did not give comparisons for growth during the previous Iranian year.

"Based on preliminary estimates of the ... central bank, Iran's economy in the first six months of the year has continued to (grow), compared to the same period last year," it said.

Iran -- the world's fourth-largest crude oil exporter -- has benefited from high oil prices in recent years but is struggling with steadily climbing inflation, which reached 19.1 percent in the year to Nov. 22.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005 promising to share out Iran's oil wealth more fairly, but critics have accused his government of profligate spending of petrodollars, fuelling price rises.

Ahmadinejad, whose government is under Western pressure over Iran's disputed nuclear programme and is facing a March parliamentary election, has dismissed the criticism. (Writing by Zahra Hosseinian; editing by David Stamp)