The Arak, or IR-40 nuclear reactor is a Heavy Water nuclear reactor located in northeastern Iran. At its conception in 2003, Arak was intended to be a large-scale producer of Heavy Water for Iran. This was concerning because of Heavy Water's usefulness in producing and enriching weapons grade Plutonium.

On 16 June, an Iranian government spokesperson reported that Israeli attacks had killed at least 224 people, including 74 women and children, without specifying how many of them were civilians. The health ministry also stated 1,800 people have been injured.

Israel has said it does not target Iranian civilians, but hundreds have died in the violence, among them a poet and her family, an equestrian and a graphic designer. An 8-year-old girl who loved dancing in a red dress at her dentist's office.