Had we had the kind of resolve we needed back in 2009 and earlier, hopefully, we would have had a different outcome. But these sanctions can only work if they're really tough sanctions that make the mullahs in Iran change their opinion about going for a nuclear weapon. They haven't changed their opinion. They've gotten much farther down the path of getting a nuclear weapon.

And at a time when our ally, Israel, needs our strength and needs our moral support, our public support, it's now, and I fear that the relations with Israel are at an all-time low.

VAN SUSTEREN: How much more can we crank up? We have the problem that they're cheaters, I mean, that they'll get around the sanctions or there'll be some countries that won't go along with the sanctions and will cheat. There comes a point when there just isn't that much more margin to crank it up, and it's only hurting the people.

RYAN: Yes, but the thing is, with these central bank sanctions -- the Obama administration requested and got waivers -- they're giving waivers -- and so...

VAN SUSTEREN: So you say no waivers?

RYAN: No, I'm saying -- well, yes, in some cases. The great thing about central bank sanctions is you can really bring pain to the government of Iran without necessarily hurting the people of Iran. And I don't believe that the administration has been strong enough on sanctions.

More importantly, they dragged their feet on sanctions. It was only because of an enormous bipartisan support for sanctions in Congress that we have the sanctions we have today. They're a little late. And that's what I -- that's what I'm concerned about is it's been four years. They've gotten this much closer toward a nuclear weapon.

But think about what the world would look like with a nuclear Iran. This is the world's greatest sponsor of terrorism. It could very well trigger an arms race in the Middle East, a very dangerous part of the world.

And think about what they would -- how they would conduct themselves if they were a nuclear nation. They've been supporting terrorism already - - Hezbollah, Hamas. Think about what they would be like if they had a nuclear weapon behind them. That just -- that thought shudders -- I shudder to think about it because this, I think, is -- is our greatest foreign policy concern right now. It affects the national security of America and our allies.

And I just think by the results of the fact that they're this much closer toward a nuclear weapon, that this administration has just not done near the job they should have done.

VAN SUSTEREN: You mentioned today at the town hall meeting -- someone asked you about the doctor in Pakistan...

RYAN: Yes.

VAN SUSTEREN: ... and you were harsh about the leaks coming out of -- you say coming out of the White House. But you also said something about our relationship with our allies. And I don't want to misquote you, but has our relationship in the last few years changed with many of our allies?

RYAN: Well, I worry that by gutting defense like we are, by not speaking with moral force by standing up for our principles -- freedom of religion, freedom of speech, women's rights, individual rights -- the president's missed lots of opportunities -- the green revolution in Iran. He said Bashar Assad had to go about a year ago. He's still there.

And so I worry that our resolve is being tested. Our adversaries see us gutting defense, and so they're more willing to engage in what I call foreign policy adventurism. And our allies -- they wonder if we have the kind of resolve that we traditionally have.

Take a look at the way we've been treating Israel lately. Take a look at all these other issues. And I really believe that we need a peace through strength option, which we don't have. If America is strong, if we assert our beliefs by standing proud for what we stand for and have a strong military that's unrivaled, then our adversaries won't test us as much and our allies will trust us more. And I just don't think that's where we are right now.

VAN SUSTEREN: You mentioned women's rights. The Obama campaign is running an ad saying that a Romney-Ryan administration would be dangerous to women. You smirk?

RYAN: I smirk because this is what politicians do when they don't have a good record to run on. Look at where we are in this economy, 23 million people struggling to find work. The poverty rate among women is the highest in a generation.

President Obama said if you just pass his stimulus package, all his borrowing and spending, unemployment would never get above 8 percent. It's been above 8 percent for 43 months. So the president doesn't have a record to run on, so he's running this divisive campaign.

Hope and change is now divide, smear and fear, divide and conquer. I don't think people are going to fall for that. This is just a political tactic to try and divide Americans.

VAN SUSTEREN: But you still need the women's vote. That's a very powerful vote.

RYAN: Of course we need the women's vote.

(CROSSTALK)

VAN SUSTEREN: Well, no, I understand that. But that -- I mean, that's being run against you.

RYAN: Look, when I think of women's issues, I think of my mom, Betty. I think of my wife, Janna. I think of my daughter, Liza. I think of the quality of education we're giving our children. I think about the mountain of debt that we are giving the next generation, which will guarantee that they have a diminished future.

I think about the poverty rate among women. I think about women who are great entrepreneurs who start businesses that employ people, and they're not doing it because of this terrible economy.

So we are all in this together. And I really mean that when I say that. And what we need are the kinds of pro-growth economic policies that Mitt and I are proposing to get us out of this rut we are in.

And so the president is going to be trying to talk to people in different groups to divide people in hopes that he can come up with a coalition of 50-plus-1 to win this election. We are talking to everybody with the same purpose, with the same principles about what you need to do to get this country back on track.

VAN SUSTEREN: Governor Romney says he'll get 240,000 jobs here in Wisconsin.

RYAN: That's right. He said, if we get this economy growing at the rate we know we can, around 4 percent a year, then we'll create 12 million jobs.

Here's the problem, Greta. The president's failed on his promises. The economy's suffering as a result of his terrible policies and his lack of leadership.

We're not going to blink. We're going to get this debt and deficit under control. We're going to pass a budget, which they haven't done for three years! We're going to put the pro-growth policies in place that we know we can let this private sector take off. And if we can get these policies in place, we know we can get this economy growing. If we get this economy growing at around 4 percent a year on average, then we can create those 12 million jobs, which is our goal.

You have to have goals. You have to have policies that are proven to work. These are pro-growth economic policies that have been proven to work. We're going to put them in place. We have to have an energy policy. We have to have an education policy, spending cuts, budgets, champion small businesses -- all of those things will help us get people back to work.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAN SUSTEREN: Straight ahead, more with Congressman Paul Ryan.

And let's face it, it doesn't matter how good your policy is if you cannot get it passed. So how would a Romney-Ryan White House break the stubborn logjam here in Washington? The vice presidential nominee's answer to that question next.

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VAN SUSTEREN: Once again, vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan.