Aug. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Iran's military tested a new anti- ship weapon, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said as he repeated a warning that his forces could respond to any attack by closing the Strait of Hormuz, an oil transit point.

The weapon relies on technology that hasn't been used by other nations, Brigadier General Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari said today in comments carried by state-run news services including Press TV and the Islamic Republic News Agency. The weapon has a range of more than 300 kilometers (185 miles), IRNA said without giving details of the type of armament tested.

The Strait of Hormuz, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, is a chokepoint between Iran and Oman through which about a fifth of the world's daily oil supply is shipped. Tensions over Iran's nuclear program escalated, helping to send the price of crude to a record, after Ja'fari's June 28 warning that Iran would ``impose control'' on the Gulf, including the strait, in response to any attack on its atomic installations.

The naval weapon ``is definitely capable of sending any warship within a distance of 300 kilometers to the bottom of the sea,'' Press TV cited Ja'fari as saying. ``The length of Iran's coastline along the Strait of Hormuz, its unique geographical position and the coastal heights make it possible for Iran to close off the strait.''

The announcement of the weapon test came as world powers were waiting for Iran's response to an offer from the U.S., Russia, China, France, the U.K. and Germany of economic and diplomatic incentives in exchange for the suspension of its uranium-enrichment program. European Union and U.S. officials gave Iran about two weeks to respond to the package during July 19 talks on the nuclear dispute in Geneva.

`Generous Incentives'

In Washington, the Bush administration again said it wants to resolve the Iranian nuclear dispute through diplomacy.

``President Bush and the U.S. are committed to diplomacy,'' White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said today in an e-mailed response to an inquiry. ``We've made a generous incentives offer to the Iranian government, and we urge them to accept it.''

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana talked with Iran's leading nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, by telephone today, according to an e-mailed statement from the EU. They agreed to continue negotiations, IRNA reported.

Today's talks weren't conclusive, an EU official said. More contact in the coming days hasn't been ruled out, he said.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday Iran is ``serious'' about the talks over its nuclear program. The nation said last week it has already replied to the incentives proposal and dismissed the deadline.

`No Answer'

Germany's Foreign Ministry ruled out any ``misunderstanding'' over Iran's response. ``We are of the opinion there was no answer,'' spokesman Jens Ploetner told reporters in Berlin today. ``The offer is on the table; that deserves an answer.''

Iran, which holds the world's second-biggest oil and natural gas reserves, insists that its nuclear program is intended to generate electricity and is lawful under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which it has signed. The U.S. and some of its allies say that the country is trying to develop atomic weapons.

On July 9, Iran said its military test-fired a long-range missile. The announcement of the test of the Shabab-3, whose 2,000-kilometer range puts Israel within reach, followed July 7 maneuvers by the U.S. Fifth Fleet in which vessels practiced protecting Gulf oil rigs.

On June 2, Israeli warplanes carried out an exercise in the eastern Mediterranean Sea that was interpreted by military analysts as a rehearsal for a strike on Iranian nuclear sites.

To contact the reporter on this story: Camilla Hall in London at chall24@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: August 4, 2008 10:31 EDT