You can credit President Donald Trump with taking extreme risks for the sake of a possible peace, but we fear he's simply putting off the inevitable by giving Tehran another cease-fire extension.
At the least, he should set a deadline of a day or two for the Islamic Republic's factions to agree on an offer; if they can't do it fast, they never will.
Caveat: The president has access to intelligence he can't share; that we can't make clear sense of his decision Tuesday doesn't remotely mean he was wrong to delay a return to active operations.
Still, his stated reasons don't add up: So what if Pakistan's leaders asked Washington to hold off until the Iranians "can come up with a unified proposal"?
First off, the Pakistanis can't possibly have a firm grasp on the regime's internal struggles; they're most likely just playing to their own public here, trying to look important by getting the prez to do as they ask.
Second, Tehran's factions are sure not to unite unless they expect to lose everything if they don't deal.
The US goals remain clear: End Iran's nuclear program permanently; eviscerate its conventional-weapons power so it can no longer bully its neighbors; ensure the Strait of Hormuz will always remain completely open to all nations, with no "tolls."
We'd also like to help Iran's people, as Trump indicated weeks before Epic Fury's launch, and as he showed with his call for Iran to cancel its plans to execute eight female civilians for political "crimes": If the regime doesn't fall, it should make some commitment to honoring basic world standards for human-rights protections.
US power can achieve all the hard-power goals without Tehran's agreement; that's what the original war plan aimed to do with the final two weeks' bombing that the prez keeps putting off.
But every pause sees Iran digging up its missiles, moving to slaughter more civilians and otherwise doing the reverse of what Washington wants.
If the hardliners get another two weeks, they'll find a way to at least partially restock their military assets.
The regime is always willing to talk and even make promises (as it did about opening the Strait last week), but has a flawless record of breaking its word: How much longer will Trump let it get away with tapping us along?
Putting off the completion of the Epic Fury plan only makes it more likely that energy prices and world economies won't settle down before midterm voting begins.
Completely defanging Iran is what's needed, not some meaningless peace of paper that pleases the Pakistanis and the global "peace process" twits.
If the Epic Fury plan isn't enough, up the pressure: Sequester all the oil Iran's hoarding in tankers near China; show we can destroy Kharg Island by doing some repairable damage; cut off every possible financial lifeline for the regime.
It's perfectly fine to give Tehran another day or two, but no more: When they still can't deliver, stop putting off the inevitable and finish the job.