President Bush said that the United States had made headway convincing Middle East states that Tehran is a threat, and that sanctions are having an impact on Iran’s economy in an interview aired on Sunday, Feb. 10.

“In my trip in the Middle East, I made it abundantly clear to nervous nations that Iran is a threat,” Bush told Fox News. “I think I made pretty good headway in the Middle East that Iran is a threat,” he said.

“I feel pretty good about making sure that we keep the pressure on Iran to pressure them so they understand they’re isolated, to pressure them to affect their economy, to pressure them to the point that we hope somebody rational shows up and says, okay, it’s not worth it anymore,” Bush said. “There are some indications we’re making progress. The economy isn’t doing as well.”

But he called out to Iranians, blaming the Tehran leadership for the problems. “We have no problems with your history, (your) tradition. We respect you as a people, but it’s your government that has made the decisions that are causing you to be economic pain that you’re now having,” Bush said.