Iran's Majlis (parliament) speaker, Ali Larijani, criticized the Iranian government over its inability to check the rising prices and unemployment rate, the local Mehr news agency reported on Tuesday.

"In a country that there are rich underground resources like oil and gas, there should not be problems such as (high) unemployment," Larijani said in the central city of Qom.

Citizens are suffering from high inflation rate, which necessitates a solution by all responsible officials, Larijani was quoted as saying.

"Today, price hikes and inflation in the country are squeezing people," he said, adding that officials are duty-bound to control rising inflation and focus on the development of the country.

Although some analysts link the speaker's remarks to the upcoming parliamentary election campaigns launched by the conservative hardliners against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's supporters, they reflect serious concerns and hardship in the lives of the majority of people in the Islamic republic.

With pressures ramped up on Iran over its disputed nuclear program, the Islamic republic is suffering from multiple economic problems such as currency depreciation and rising inflation.

Suspicious of Iran's intention of enriching uranium and influenced by the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) report last November on Iran's nuclear program, the United States, the European Union and some of their allies have announced new sanctions against Tehran, which have negatively impacted the Islamic republic's economy.

Following the U.S. sanctions on Iran's central bank last December and the EU's more recent sanctions on its oil exports as well as its financial sector, the Iranian currency underwent critical depreciation.

On Tuesday, in Tehran's street market, one U.S. dollar was exchanged for 19,000 Iranian rials, while a year ago one U.S. dollar could be exchanged for 11,100 rials.

With increasing pressures placed on the Islamic republic, ordinary Iranians are struggling to pay rising living costs.

Prices of daily necessities have been soaring in the past months, with some of those up by more than 20 percent within the past two months. Inflation has became a hot topic discussed by Iranian people.

After adopting several failed measures aiming to deal with the currency instability and rising inflation, the Islamic republic has announced increased bank interest rates as another mechanism to help reduce liquidity in the economy.

In August 2011, Iranian Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem-Shirazi expressed concerns over the high inflation in the country.

"Every day about 2,000 letters and messages are received by our office in which many (civilians) complain about inflation and other problems," the influential cleric told worshippers at the prayers marking Muslims' Eid al-Fitr in Iran's central holy city of Qom.

Makarem-Shirazi also called on the governmental officials to be open to criticism. He said it is not correct to say that everything is good and "close our eyes to realities."

Under diverse economic sanctions, Iran has also undergone reforms aimed at cutting the government subsidies to key consumer goods, including gasoline, natural gas, electricity and foodstuffs.

In December 2010, Iranian president announced the launch of his economic reform plan.

Ahmadinejad incessantly hailed the plan and rejected the criticisms concerning the negative impacts of the plan in the country's industry and economy, arguing that the industrial production had not stopped or the daily lives of the commoners have not been negatively affected.

Iranian officials have reiterated that the Western sanctions and the reforms have provided an opportunity for the country to gain independence in many economic sectors and made its economy even stronger.