01 August 2021
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Sunday that the United Kingdom now believes Iran was likely responsible for last week's drone strike on an oil tanker in the Arabian sea.
Why it matters: The British now join Israel in accusing Tehran of being behind the July 29 attack off the coast of Oman. Iran has denied involvement.
Driving the news: The merchant tanker, “Mercer Street,” was hit twice. The first attack didn’t cause any damages but the second strike hit the rooms of the crew.
- Two people were killed, one Romanian national and one British national.
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on Saturday night with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. In a readout of the call, the department said that the two "agreed to work with the United Kingdom, Romania, and other international partners to investigate the facts, provide support, and consider the appropriate next steps."
Between the lines: The ship was owned by a Japanese company but was managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime. Israeli officials have alleged this was the reason the tanker became a target.
- Israel and Iran have traded attacks at sea over the last 18 months. Israel attacked numerous Iranian vessels, which were transferring oil and allegedly weapons to Syria. In recent months, Iran has begun to retaliate by allegedly attacking ships owned by Israeli businessmen.
What they are saying: On Sunday morning, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry denied Iran had any connection to the attack.
- Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday that he "unequivocally" believes "Iran was the one that attacked the ship,” per Bloomberg.
- “We expect the international community to clarify to the Iranian regime that it made a terrible mistake. We have our ways of getting the message to Iran," he added.
- Raab's statement said the UK believes the attack was “deliberate, targeted, and a clear violation of international law by Iran.”
- “Iran must end such attacks, and vessels must be allowed to navigate freely in accordance with international law,” Raab said.
What’s next: Raab said the UK is working with its partners “on a concerted response.” Israeli and British diplomats told Axios that the next step will be to attempt to convene a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly 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.