Become a Locals Member to Join Our 2026 Armenia Tour Before It Fills Up!

We’re thrilled to announce our 6th annual tour of Armenia—and you’re invited! This incredible journey is only available to Locals.com members, and spots will go fast.

Chuck Holton’s deep love for Armenia began during his frontline coverage of the 2020 war. Since then, he’s returned again and again, introducing hundreds of people to this beautiful and resilient country. His passion shines through in every step of the tour—from exploring mountain monasteries to sharing powerful, untold stories from the front lines. You’ll gain unique insights from his time embedded with soldiers and witness firsthand his heart for helping others.

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While I woke up to a peaceful morning in a quiet Armenian mountain village, the world just took a hard turn toward open war—just a few hundred miles south of where I’m standing, Israel has launched full-scale airstrikes across Iran.

And this isn’t tit-for-tat skirmishing anymore. This is war. Real war. Strategic, targeted, decapitating war.

The Opening Salvo: Precision Strikes and Strategic Chaos

Overnight, Israel unleashed at least four waves of devastating airstrikes across Iran, hitting key nuclear, military, and leadership targets. Among the confirmed dead:

• IRGC General Hussein Salami (yes, the one blustering on Iranian TV yesterday)

• General Gulmani Rashid, a senior strategist

• Dr. Terranchi, head of Iran’s largest university

• Fereydoon Abbasi, a top nuclear scientist

By Chuck Holton | June 12, 2025

The signs are flashing red.

In just 24 hours, the U.S. began pulling families from military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq. Embassy personnel are quietly packing bags. At the same time, Iran is openly threatening to strike U.S. bases across the Gulf. Add to that a Hamas ambush that killed five aid workers in Gaza, and we are suddenly staring down the barrel of a major regional conflict.

Here’s what you need to know: