A local man loses contact with his family in Iran as the war deepens.

Erik Chalhoub here. With analysts expecting gas prices to spike very soon in the midst of the U.S. and Israel’s war in Iran, I waited in a long line this morning to fill up my car, hoping that I would catch a lower price before it potentially rises.

This minor inconvenience is my only involvement in this war. I can’t pretend to imagine what it’s like for the people who are living it every day abroad, and for those here at home who have loved ones caught up in the chaos.

To help get a sense of the human side of things, I chatted briefly this morning with Changiz Lahidji, a retired U.S. Army soldier who grew up in Iran and now lives in Pacific Grove.

Lahidji served in the U.S. Army Special Forces for 24 years and 12 years as a military contractor. You can read more about the touching story of Lahidji and his friend Steve McCullough in a 2024 article by Weekly Senior Staff Writer Pam Marino.

This morning, Lahidji was in good spirits, yet acknowledged it was a tough time. He says he has family in Iran, who he is not able to contact, due to internet and phone service blacked out in the country.

“The situation is so tense,” Lahidji says. “It’s not easy.”

This year has been a particularly difficult time for Iranians, including those who live here locally. Earlier this year, when thousands were killed by the Iranian government in protests across the country, Staff Writer Agata Popęda sat down with Mahshid Bozorgnia of Marina, who is looking for ways to help the people in her country of origin.

Local author Ava Homa, who grew up in Iran, writes that she hears “simultaneous relief and terror” in her family’s voices.

Monterey County’s Democratic Congressional representatives, Jimmy Panetta and Zoe Lofgren, condemned the war.

In a statement, Panetta criticized President Donald Trump for bypassing Congress in launching the attack.

“There is no doubt that Iran has blood on its hands and must be aggressively confronted for its human rights violations, nuclear ambitions, regional missile attacks, support of terrorism and the threat it poses to our allies in the region, like Israel and Jordan,” Panetta said. “However, it is unclear what the administration’s goals are and, due to the sprawling and decentralized regime and military in Iran, whether these strikes can accomplish them.”

“Four brave American service members are already dead, and the administration is refusing to rule out boots on the ground,” Lofgren said. “This war is not legal, and Trump has not made the case to the American people for why we should send more of our troops into harm’s way.”

We’ll continue to follow how the war impacts Monterey County, however long it continues.