US Officials: Strike Pause May Be Deliberate Misdirection, Not Stand-Down
⏱️ NSC STRATEGY — The pause isn't restraint. It may be the weapon. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: Officials signaling "deliberate misdirection" reframes the called-off strike as pressure tactic, not diplomatic concession. Tehran reads the pause as leverage gained — if that's wrong, Iran's negotiating posture is built on a false premise. Forces stay pre-positioned; the deception hypothesis makes every Iranian counter-move riskier.