A spokeswoman for Mofaz, Talya Somech, confirmed that he had been quoted accurately. She said Mofaz was expressing "his own opinion".
Israel's deputy defence minister, Matan Vilnai, said Mofaz, a former defence minister and a contender to replace the scandal-battered Olmert, had turned "one of the most strategic security issues into a political game, using it for the internal purposes of a would-be campaign in Kadima".
Kadima, the party founded by the former prime minister Ariel Sharon, leads the coalition government and has been thrown into turmoil by the latest corruption scandal surrounding Olmert.
Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, rebuked Israel for damaging diplomatic efforts aimed at reining in Iran's nuclear ambitions. "With unilateral military actions, countries are undermining international agreements, and we are at a historic turning point," ElBaradei said.
Iran retaliated against Mofaz's comments at the weekend, demanding action from the UN security council and accusing Israel of violating international law.
Israel bombed a Syrian target suspected of being a North Korean-built reactor last September. It also bombed an Iraqi reactor in 1981. But last week, while visiting Washington, Olmert called for tougher diplomatic efforts.