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Netanyahu campaigns against Biden's plan to save Iran deal

04 March 2021
 Dan Ackermann

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indirectly criticized the Biden administration for its intention to return to the Iran nuclear deal and told his supporters he was prepared to "stand against the entire world" to stop it.

Why it matters: This is a major change of tune for Netanyahu, who had been careful in his statements on the Iran deal and avoided publicly criticizing President Biden. The statement was part of Netanyahu's attempt to rally his base ahead of Israel's election on March 23.

What he's saying: Hinting at the new administration in Washington, Netanyahu said, "the international reality has changed. There is an intention to go back to this dangerous deal. I am the only one who will stand against the entire world."

  • Netanyahu added that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons to destroy Israel and asked, “Who will defend you from annihilation? I will not hesitate to do anything against whatever threatens our country."

Between the lines: Netanyahu’s campaign rhetoric diverges widely from the policy line Israel's top national security officials, including Netanyahu, agreed to in a high-level meeting 10 days earlier.

  • The officials agreed to avoid a public fight with the Biden administration for now, focusing instead on holding strategic consultations with the White House on the Iranian nuclear issue.

Go deeper:U.S., Europeans scrap plan to censure Iran at UN nuclear watchdog meeting

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.