Kathmandu, July 25 -- Five Nepali nationals imprisoned in Iran returned home on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.

The release came following an Iranian court order. The five, who were jailed while en route to another country, arrived in Kathmandu on Thursday with support from Nepal's consulate in Tehran and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

According to the ministry, 11 other Nepalis had been residing in Iran. Nine were earlier repatriated to Nepal through an Indian evacuation initiative.

The repatriation was part of India's "Operation Sindhu", launched to evacuate its citizens during the Iran-Israel conflict that began on June 13 and ended in a ceasefire on June 23.

Nepal had formally request...