Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the United Nations, has said the war against Iran is intended to remove what he described as a long-standing regional threat posed by the Islamic Republic.

Speaking to NBC’s Meet the Press, Waltz claimed the US operation is delivering “truly extraordinary” results about a week in, asserting that Iran’s air force and air defences have been destroyed or severely degraded, and that Iran’s navy has been sunk — including “over 40 ships” he said are now “at the bottom of the ocean”.

Waltz said the president and senior US officials are presenting the campaign as necessary to protect Americans and “eliminate this threat once and for all”.