Photo: IC

 
The spokesman for Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) on Saturday played down the likelihood of restoration of diplomatic ties with United States through prisoner swap.

Keyvan Khosravi, the spokesman for SNSC, said that prisoner swap between Iran and the United States is not the start of "any new path" for mutual negotiations, Tehran Times daily reported.

Khosravi's comments came as Brian Hook, the US special representative for Iran, said on Wednesday that recent prisoner exchange will lead to a broader discussion on consular affairs between the US and Iran.

"Prisoner swap was done without holding any negotiations (with the United States), and it is done based on Iran's humanitarian approach," Khosravi said, adding that "it is not start of any new path and it is an end to the difficult situation of innocent people who have been incarcerated by the US' international banditry."

Last Saturday, Iran and the United States exchanged two prisoners, a detained American on spying charges for an imprisoned Iranian researcher for violating Iran sanctions.