Trump Limits Iran’s $12 Billion Unfrozen Funds to US Food and Medical Supplies

Q: Can Meloni's proposed electoral reform neutralize the threat from her new far-right rival?

Not fully. Meloni’s proposed electoral reform could reduce the parliamentary leverage of Roberto Vannacci’s new far-right party, but it cannot by itself remove the political threat he poses. The reform is designed to reward the leading coalition with a majority bonus if it clears roughly 40-42% of the vote. In practical terms, that would help Meloni if her broader center-right bloc stays united and remains above the threshold, because it would turn a narrow lead into a workable majority and make smaller parties less decisive. But Vannacci’s National Future is dangerous precisely because it may stop her coalition from reaching that threshold. Polling around 4.5% to nearly 6%, and already attracting defectors from Meloni’s camp, the party is drawing support from voters on her right who see her as too moderate. If those votes remain outside her alliance, they could deny her the bonus rather than be neutralized by it. That means the reform is more of a defensive institutional tool than a political solution. It can magnify victory, but it cannot create one. Its success depends on whether Meloni can keep the right-wing electorate sufficiently consolidated. So the reform may contain Vannacci’s influence in parliament if Meloni still finishes strongly, but it does not solve the underlying problem: he is fragmenting her base and could make the bonus unreachable.

3 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 23

Trump said Iran will be allowed to spend any unfrozen money only on food and medical supplies from the US, directly rejecting an Iranian official’s claim that the funds could be used freely.
Mehr reported, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, that $12 billion could be released in two equal tranches, though the US has not confirmed the amount Iran will receive.
US-only purchasing would channel part of the deal toward American farm exports, giving Trump a potential political benefit with farmers ahead of midterm elections.
The restriction underscores Trump’s effort to defend the Iran peace deal against criticism from security hawks in his own Republican Party.