The ultimate goal of the US military operation in Iran is to eliminate the threat to Washington from Tehran, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated.

"Iran can no longer pose a threat to the United States of America, to our troops and personnel in the Middle East. This, again, is the ultimate goal of Operation Epic Fury — to destroy their naval forces, neutralize the ballistic missile threat, guarantee that they can never obtain nuclear weapons," she said in an interview with Fox News.

Leavitt added that by Iran's unconditional surrender, US President Donald Trump means eliminating the threat to the US from Tehran.