The United States has delivered a "dominant victory" over Iran militarily, economically, and diplomatically, even as fighting continues and tensions remain high in the Persian Gulf, Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Sunday.
"Militarily, the U.S. military has decimated Iran's air force, their air defenses, their missile capability, their missile production capability," Waltz said in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union."
"This has been a dominant victory, the likes of which we haven't seen in modern American military history," he added.
The comments came after President Donald Trump said in an interview that the United States has "beaten and completely decimated Iran," though the conflict has not formally ended.
Waltz said the pressure on Iran extends beyond the battlefield, pointing to economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation.
"Their currency is tanking. Their foreign reserves are completely depleted," Waltz said. "That's why you saw the most recent uprising."
He added that Iran has also faced growing diplomatic isolation at the United Nations, with a record number of 135 nations siding with the Gulf Arab countries in condemning Iran for its "atrocious attacks on civilian infrastructure."
But when asked whether the war could end while the Iranian regime remains in power, Waltz said the decision ultimately rests with Trump as commander in chief.
"I will leave it to the president where he decides, and when he decides, and on what terms he decides as commander in chief to end hostilities," said Waltz. "But I think the important point here is, the United States has never been in such a position of strength and the Iranian regime has never been in such a position of weakness."
He also questioned whether newly nominated Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei is firmly in control.
"We will see if he's actually really in charge," Waltz said. "It's unclear that he really has control of the country, if he's even alive at this point."
The interview comes as Iran continues to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies. Trump has said the U.S. Navy will begin escorting oil tankers through the strait.
Waltz said the administration expects other nations to participate in protecting maritime traffic.
"Eighty percent of the oil coming out of the Gulf heads to Asia," Waltz said. "Iran can't hold your economies hostage. And we certainly welcome, encourage, and even demand their participation to help their own economies."
He said U.S. forces would continue targeting Iranian military assets that threaten shipping.
"Meanwhile, the U.S. military will continue to pound the Iranian military, their missile, boat, and drone forces to keep the strait open," Waltz said.
Waltz also addressed reports that Russia may be providing intelligence to Iran to help target U.S. troops, but declined to discuss classified information.
"I'm not going to get into leaked assessments of what intelligence is being provided or not," Waltz said.
"But I will tell you, if they are doing it, it certainly hasn't been effective, because the Iranian air force, air defenses, missile forces, and Navy have been completely decimated," he said.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.