You're not listening!

Back in 2003 before the invasion of Iraq, we, and to a lesser extent the US, were saying to Saddam "Tell us where your weapons of mass destruction are, turn them over, and you can avoid being invaded". His constant response was "I haven't got any - I can't give you what I haven't got". We now know he was telling the truth. More recently, the US, and to a lesser extent ourselves, have been saying to the Iranian president "Stop working towards the production of nuclear weapons, or else!". He has consistently said "We're not doing that". It now seems probable that he too has been telling the truth. Is there a lesson for us here - and perhaps more to the point, will we heed it?