Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with the Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Thursday..

This is the question that every American critical of Russia's Iranian policies should ask before stating an opinion related to the issue. Today's article in the not-so-friendly-to-Russia New York Times marks an encouraging change of tone. Whether it is Obama's promised policy shift, or Hillary's meetings in Moscow, or the beginning of spring on the East Coast, but the facts known to experts only, are finally made public on the main page of the NYT.

In the article's third paragraph, the Times quotes Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov saying that "[Russia's] Bushehr cooperation played "a special role" in keeping international inspectors inside Iran, and "ensuring that Iran is complying with its nonproliferation obligations. "Citing another sign of better ties between the countries," says NYT quoting another official, "30 percent of supplies for American troops in Afghanistan are now being shipped through Russian territory, either by airplane or train."

Maybe, after all, Russia and Americans can be, should be, and are strategic partners. And maybe the U.S. should trust Russia on its Iranian policies, taking into consideration such facts as that Russia has a five-century-long intelligence presence in Iran, that Iran's every nuclear-related facility is flooded with Russian experts, and that an Islamic nuclear-armed nation on Russia's border is the last thing Russian leadership and people would ever want.