ABC News Politics

Since the start of the war in Iran, at least 232 U.S. troops have been wounded, according to a U.S. official. The majority of those injuries are traumatic brain injuries. abcnews.link/UbIEJDe

Three Navy ships carrying 2,200 Marines left San Diego earlier this week for a previously scheduled deployment to the Indo-Pacific, but two U.S. officials tell ABC News their ultimate destination is likely the Middle East. abcnews.link/WjjrJtp

Energy Secretary Chris Wright elaborated on the possibility of the U.S. lifting sanctions on Iranian oil already out at sea, dismissing concerns of Iran profiting from the move by arguing that the oil was “going to be monetized anyway." abcnews.link/iETyJIX

President Trump is again blasting America's NATO allies, calling them "COWARDS" and criticizing them for not helping keep the Strait of Hormuz open amid the war in Iran. abcnews.link/JHFdpRS

President Trump on Thursday, while seated next to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office, compared the first U.S. strikes against Iran to Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II. abcnews.link/A6vjQsZ

The federal Commission of Fine Arts officially voted Thursday to approve a new 24-karat commemorative gold coin featuring President Trump, amid backlash from Democrats and other stakeholders. abcnews.link/eifJBNT

Nearly one in 10 people enrolled in the Affordable Care Act Marketplace last year dropped their coverage in 2026, according to a new KFF survey published Thursday. Read more: abcnews.link/H1rxydM

Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center who resigned over his opposition to the Iran war, told Tucker Carlson that "Israel drove the decision" to strike Iran and rejected that there was an "imminent" threat to the U.S. abcnews.link/JEdSc8N

NEW: A U.S. Air Force F-35 plane that conducted an emergency landing is believed to have been struck by Iranian fire, according to a source familiar with the incident. abcnews.link/UT9ah7K

In his opening statement to the House Oversight Committee, Jeffrey Epstein's longtime attorney Darren Indyke claimed that he had "no knowledge whatsoever" of the late financier's crimes and categorically denied facilitating the sex trafficking of women. abcnews.link/VTgzqeo

In the latest effort to ease spiking oil prices, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the U.S. might lift sanctions on Iranian oil that's already out at sea. abcnews.link/sBer0AI

More than 1,000 people have now been killed and 2,584 others injured in Lebanon amid ongoing Israeli strikes, according to the Lebanese health ministry. abcnews.link/CgzjYr2

A U.S. F-35 fighter jet had to make an emergency landing in the Middle East just before midnight on Wednesday while flying a combat mission over Iran, according to a Centcom spokesperson. abcnews.link/sMuz5zc

An immigration judge has denied Liam Conejo Ramos and his family’s asylum claim, their attorney confirmed. abcnews.link/CJtU3xQ

Sen. Markwayne Mullin's nomination to be the secretary of Homeland Security narrowly cleared a committee vote Thursday with the help of Sen. John Fetterman, teeing the Oklahoma Republican's nomination up for a final vote on the Senate floor. abcnews.link/S2OYcl3

GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin's confirmation hearing began with a personal confrontation between fellow Republican Sen. Rand Paul as Mullin seeks to take over the Department of Homeland Security from its embattled leader, Kristi Noem. @jayobtv reports. abcnews.link/o9RrRFL

Qatar has ordered Iranian Embassy officials to leave the country within 24 hours due to Iran's repeated targeting of its territory, the Qatari Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday. abcnews.link/VW4lOeD

Israel began striking "northern Iran" for the first time since the war started, the Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday. abcnews.link/YDRXZNS

A suspicious package found Monday outside the MacDill Air Force Base visitor center in Florida contained what appeared to be an improvised explosive device, multiple sources told @ABC News. abcnews.link/YYXg5gR

Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin's confirmation hearing began with a personal confrontation between fellow Republican Senator Rand Paul as Mullin seeks to take over the Department of Homeland Security from its embattled leader, Kristi Noem. abcnews.link/PJcGdsX