TEHRAN - Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri said on Tuesday that Iran will pass the current difficult time proudly and apologized to people for economic hardship.

“We know that the country’s situation is difficult and people are under pressure and are going through difficulties. If the intellectuals, political figures and the nation enter (the scene) actively, we will pass this hard time proudly in a shortest period of time,” he said during a ceremony.

Commodity prices have risen and the national currency has lost its value since the Trump administration has withdrawn from the nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran.

Jahangiri said the current situation does not mean that the country has reached a “deadlock”.

The country can pass the current difficult situation through planning, he said.

The vice president said that the U.S. has imposed economic and political pressure against Iran. He added that U.S. President Donald Trump sought to turn the public opinion against Iran in his speech at the UN General Assembly summit last week, however, the result was the other way around.

He added that in his speech at the UNAG on September 25, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani proved that Iran is a “logical” and “powerful” country.

NA/PA