MARIA: WELCOME BACK.
REIGNING IN IRAN, THE UNITED
STATES RESTORING ALL SANCTIONS
LIFTED UNDER THE 2015 NUCLEAR
DEAL, HITTING IRAN'S BANKING AND
OIL INDUSTRIES WITH IRAN'S
PRESIDENT VOWING TO RESIST THE
NEW MEASURES.
JOINING US NOW IS FORMER
AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N., BILL
RICHARDSON.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU, MARIA.
MARIA: YOUR REACTION TO WHAT
IRAN IS COMING BACK WITH, THAT
IT'S GOING TO RESIST THESE
MOVES.
ARE YOU EXPECTING RETALIATION?
WHAT'S THE IMPACT OF ALL OF
THIS?
>> WELL, I THINK WHAT WE WANT IS
IRAN NOT TO GET OUT OF THE
NUCLEAR DEAL THAT THEY HAVE WITH
OTHER COUNTRIES.
I MEAN, WE GOT OUT OF IT.
I WOULD HAVE KEPT CAN IT.
BUT I THINK THIS IS IRAN'S
POLITICAL REACTION.
THEIR ECONOMY IS IN TROUBLE
ANYWAY.
THESE ARE VERY TOUGH SANCTIONS,
OIL, BANKING, SHIPPING, BUT IT'S
GOING TO TAKE ABOUT A YEAR FOR
THEM TO REALLY BITE THE IRANIAN
ECONOMY.
THE WORRY I HAVE IS THAT FRANCE,
GERMANY, BRITAIN, ARE NOT
JOINING IN THE SANCTIONS AND
THAT WE'VE EXEMPTED EIGHT
COUNTRIES.
THEY'RE OUR ALLIES FROM OIL
SHIPMENTS, OIL SANCTIONS, BUT
WHAT WE WANT THE IRAN GOVERNMENT
TO DO IS STOP THEIR CYBER
ATTACKS, STOP THEIR SUPPORT
TERRORISM, STOP THEIR CAMPAIGNS
AROUND THE WORLD TO DISRUPT
FRIENDLY GOVERNMENTS.
IN SYRIA, THEY'RE DOING TERRIBLE
WORK.
IN YEMEN, THEY'RE DOING THE SAME
THING.
SO LET'S HOPE THIS WORKS.
BUT I WOULD HAVE KEPT THE
SANCTIONS -- I WOULD HAVE KEPT
THE IRANIAN DEAL BECAUSE THEY
WERE COMPLYING.
BUT THEY STILL ARE COMPLYING, SO
--
MARIA: WE KNOW THE IRANIAN DEAL
IS NOT HAPPENING.
WE PULLED OUT OF THAT.
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR JOHN
BOLTON SPOKE ABOUT THE POTENTIAL
-- I ASKED ABOUT CHINA
POTENTIALLY BUYING OIL FROM THE
UNITED STATES INSTEAD OF IRAN.
WATCH THIS.
>> ONE COMPLAINT IS THAT THE
ADMINISTRATION HAS EXEMPTED
EIGHT COUNTRIES FROM SANCTIONS
ON OIL EXPORTS FROM IRAN.
ARE THEY, JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA,
CHINA AND INDIA?
>> THOSE WILL BE ANNOUNCED
TODAY.
THE PRESIDENT'S POLICY IS
MAXIMUM PRESSURE.
WHAT HE MEANS BY MAXIMUM
PRESSURE IS MAXIMUM PRESSURE.
THE AIM IS TO DRIVE IRANIAN OIL
EXPORTS TO ZERO.
WE'RE WORKING WITH OTHER
COUNTRIES TO GET ALTERNATIVE
SUPPLIES FOR COUNTRIES THAT ARE
BUYING.
MARIA: THAT'S WHAT HE SAID.
YOUR ISSUE IS THESE EXEMPTIONS,
GOVERNOR.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?
THEY'RE GOING TO NAME WHAT THE
EXEMPTED COUNTRIES ARE TODAY.
>> WELL, LOOK, I UNDERSTAND THE
TACTIC.
THESE ARE OUR ALLIES.
YOU DON'T WANT TO HURT THEM AND
THEY ARE GOING TO BE REDUCING
THOSE TRADE RELATIONSHIPS WITH
IRAN ON ENERGY WHICH IS GOOD.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE'VE GOT
A TRADE WAR WITH CHINA AND WE'RE
GIVING THEM A LITTLE BREAK HERE.
ALL RIGHT.
SO TACTICALLY I DON'T KNOW THE
INS AND OUTS OF WHAT WE'RE
DOING.
BUT I THINK THIS IS A GOOD
MEASURE, REAM
MEASURE, REIMPOSING THE
SANCTIONS.
I HOPE THAT FRANCE, GERMANY, OUR
ALLIES, BRITAIN, LEAN ON THE
IRANIANS FOR THEM TO STOP THE
SUPPORT OF TERRORISM.
I THINK THAT'S THE MAIN
OBJECTIVE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO
ACHIEVE.
THE IRANIAN ECONOMY, YOU'VE GOT
STEVE FORBES THERE, HE KNOWS
THAT THEIR ECONOMY'S IN TROUBLE.
THEY'VE GOT WATER SHORTAGES,
BANKS ARE IN TROUBLE, THEIR
RESERVES ARE IN TROUBLE, OIL
PRODUCTION HAS GONE DOWN.
>> THEY'VE GOT A BAD INFLATION
TOO, GOVERNOR.
>> YES.
>> WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE BE DOING
AGAINST IRAN?
MAJOR EUROPEAN COMPANIES HAVE
PULLED OUT OF IRAN.
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO TRY TO MESS
WITH THE UNITED STATES.
WHAT PRESSURES SHOULD WE PUT ON
GERMANY, FRANCE AND BRITAIN TO
FOLLOW UP WITH WHAT THEIR OWN
COMPANIES ARE DOING TO BRING
IRAN TO ITS KNEES UNLESS IT
CHANGES ITS BEHAVIOR.
>> WELL, STEVE, I WOULD HOPE
IT'S GENTLE PRESSURE.
THESE ARE COUNTRIES, THEY'RE OUR
FRIENDS AND ALLIES.
WE'RE ALREADY SORT OF IN A TRADE
WAR WITH THEM.
WE DON'T NEED TO HURT OUR
RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR ALLIES
ANYMORE THAN WE HAVE.
>> HOW DO WE PERSUADE THEM?
>> WE PERSUADE THEM BY TELLING
THEM IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT
THAT THEY LEAN ON IRAN TO
IMPROVE THE BEHAVIOR OF IRAN.
THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
BUT NOT IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON OUR
ALLIES.
>> REALISTICALLY, IS THERE A WAY
REALLY TO CHANGE IRAN WITHOUT A
REGIME CHANGE?
THESE GUYS HAVE BEEN IN 40
YEARS.
THEY'RE AS BAD AS EVER.
IS THAT ULTIMATELY WHAT'S GOING
TO HAVE TO HAPPEN?
>> WELL, --
>>
>> THERE'S A LOT OF IRANIAN
OPPOSITION GROUPS OUT THERE THAT
HAVE SUPPORT.
I THINK WE TALK ABOUT WAYS THAT
WE CAN COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH
THE IRANIAN PEOPLE, WITH YOUNG
PEOPLE, WITH MILLENNIALS, WITH
BUSINESS LEADERS.
AS YOU KNOW, THEIR ECONOMY IS IN
VERY BAD SHAPE AND THERE'S A
REAL POPULACE MOVEMENT THAT WE
SHOULD ENCOURAGE.
MARIA: WHAT YOU'RE SAYING
SOUNDS TERRIFIC.
HOW DO WE GET TO THE PEOPLE AND
ENCOURAGE THIS WHEN THE
GOVERNMENT OF IRAN IS USING TAX
MONEY, ALL THE MONEY THAT COMES
INTO THE COUNTRY TOWARDS
TERRORISM.
YEAH, OF COURSE WE WANT TO
CONNECT WITH THE PEOPLE WHO WANT
A CHANGE IN THEIR LIVES.
HOW DO YOU DO THAT WHEN THEY'RE
BEING GOVERNED BY A TERRORIST
ORGANIZATION?
>> WELL, I THINK THESE SANCTIONS
AS I SAID ARE HE
AS I SAID ARE VERY STRONG.
BUT IT'S GOING TO TAKE A YEAR
FOR THEM TO REALLY BITE.
THE OIL SANCTIONS, THE ENERGY
SANCTIONS ARE THE ONES THAT ARE
MOST IMPORTANT, THAT CAN REALLY
CRIPPLE THEIR ECONOMY.
THEIR PRODUCTION IS ALREADY
GOING DOWN.
I THINK WITHIN OPEC, SOME OF OUR
ALLIES THERE MIGHT BE HELPFUL.