POPPY HARLOW (CO-ANCHOR): Foreign Minister Zarif just said Iran “will never pursue a nuclear weapon,” this was just in the last 5 minutes. Do you believe that? Should the U.S. believe that?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY): No. We shouldn't believe that. Don't listen to what they say, watch what they do. And what they have been doing has continued to be pursuing a nuclear weapon. It has been a stated goal through the years, but Iran with a nuclear weapon --
HARLOW: So if --
BARRASSO: -- makes the world less safe and less secure and less stable. We cannot allow that to happen.
HARLOW: So if the U.S. should not believe that and not believe what they say, then what is your response to national security adviser John Bolton, who just this morning said, quote, “the combination of sanctions and other pressure will bring Iran to the table.” If we shouldn't believe what Iran says, then what good is this diplomacy, right? John Bolton saying we're opening the door to diplomacy, let's see if they walk through it, but it sounds to me like you're saying, Senator, you can't believe a word the Iranian regime says.
BARRASSO: Well, the old “trust but verify.” We need to make sure that they're not developing a nuclear weapon. We know in the past they had hidden sites where they were working to develop and use --
HARLOW: Right.
BARRASSO: -- the centrifuges to develop a nuclear weapon. We know what their ballistic capacity is.
