But Washington, Israel and Russia also sought to downplay fears of an armed conflict with Iran stressing that world powers were seeking to resolve diplomatically a long-running dispute over the Islamic republic's contested nuclear program.

"Iran's development of ballistic missiles is a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and completely inconsistent with Iran's obligations to the world," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe told reporters at the G8 summit in Tokayo, Japan.

"The Iranians should stop the development of ballistic missiles, which could be used as a delivery vehicle for a potential nuclear weapon, immediately," Johndroe said.

Iran test-fired its "Shahab-3" early Wednesday. The missile is tagged as having a 2,000-kilometer (1,240-mile) range.

The launch came a day after an aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Iran would "set fire" to Israel and the US navy in the Gulf as its first response to any American attack over its nuclear program.

In Israel, 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) from the Iranian border, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman said Israel was not seeking war.

"Israel seeks neither conflict nor hostilities with Iran, but no one in the international community should remain indifferent to Iran's nuclear program and Iran's ballistic missile program," Mark Regev said.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates also said the United States and Iran were not close to a military confrontation, and understood the consequences of any conflict.

Asked if the two countries were closer to a military confrontation in light of the escalating rhetoric, Gates said, "No I don't think so."

"The reality is there is a lot of signalling going on, but everybody recognizes what the consequences of any kind of a conflict would be," he said.

"And I would tell you that this government is working hard to make sure the diplomatic and economic approach to dealing with Iran and trying to get the Iranian government to change its policy is the strategy and is the approach that continues to dominate," he said.

Russia also gave assurances that it believed Iran was ready to begin talks with the six major world powers over its contested nuclear drive.

"The signal that we have received in essence is that Iran is ready for negotiations," Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergei Kisliak said, quoted by the Interfax news agency.

"Today, all the conditions are there to begin a serious conversation with Iran," he added. "We must sit down at the negotiating table with our Iranian colleagues and examine all the possibilities."

Despite such assurances however, Germany said it was concerned about Wednesday's missile test and urged Tehran to stop its "sabre-rattling."

Government spokesman Thomas Steg noted that top world powers dealing with Iran's nuclear program had made a "gesture of goodwill" by offering incentives last month in return for Iran suspending uranium enrichment activities.

"It is regrettable that Iran has responded to this gesture of the international community with a bad-will gesture," he said.

The latest tensions over Iran also caused oil prices to rebound amid fears about possible supply disruptions, after Tehran threatened to cut off the Hormuz Strait if it is attacked.

France warned the missile test would do nothing to appease global concerns about Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

"These missile tests can only reinforce the concerns of the international community at a time when Iran is separately developing a nuclear program," foreign ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier said.

And Britain described the test-firing as "unwelcome" and mistimed. "We have to question why does Iran need such long-range missiles?" the Foreign Office said in a statement.

"What we have seen just underlines the need for Iran to comply with its international obligations on the nuclear issue."

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