It was that or he was lying. Pick your choice.
That's a bit unsubtle for Uriel. I think he's a bit more like the Faeries, conveniently omitting certain information and even setting up others knowing they will act a certain way. I mean, he doesn't need to tell Jack Murphy to push Dresden. He knows who Jack is and what he is like, and he knows who Dresden is and what he is like. He sets up a situation knowing there is a very high chance of Harry being nudged into going back. Think about how the Fallen know how to lie so well. They spent eons watching humanity grow, and clearly from a multiverse level perspective - not just the Denarians either (who might actually be a bit more limited. They can see multiple possibilities which allow them to make very accurate predictions of the future and human behaviour. Uriel isn't a white knight. He plays around in the shadows. He is probably a bit more grey than most Angels, because that's what his job requires.
He didn't lie AND he wasn't duped by Murphy's father (which would assume you can dupe a being that exists in multiple timelines and exist both in the past, present and future).
He didn't need to lie. And I doubt he can be duped, at least not in those kind of circumstances.
So he set up his dominos and watched things play out.
