The Wire Staff
28/Mar/2026
The New York Times noted that Musk's presence on the call for yet unclear reasons was unusual as he no longer holds an official post. The Indian foreign ministry has said the call was bilateral.
28/Mar/2026
The New York Times noted that Musk's presence on the call for yet unclear reasons was unusual as he no longer holds an official post. The Indian foreign ministry has said the call was bilateral.
Elon Musk. Photo: Thomas Hawk/Flickr CC BY NC 2.0
New Delhi: Elon Musk, the billionaire businessman who runs Tesla, X and SpaceX, was part of a recent phone call between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the West Asia crisis, the New York Times reported on Friday (March 27).
Citing US officials, the report said it was not clear why Musk was on the call or whether he spoke. It described his presence as “an unusual appearance by a private citizen on a call between two heads of state during a wartime crisis”.
Neither the US nor Indian side mentioned his presence in their public accounts of the conversation.
When contacted by The Wire, India’s external affairs ministry had initially stated queries should be directed to the US side. The US embassy in New Delhi, when reached, said the matter should be taken up with the White House.
Responding to queries from ANI on the report, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “President Trump has a great relationship with Prime Minister Modi, and this was a productive conversation.”
Later, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal issued a statement. “We have seen the story. The telephone conversation on 24 March was between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump only. As has been stated earlier, it provided the opportunity for exchange of views on the situation in West Asia.”
For example, The call, held on early Tuesday morning as per local Washington DC time, was first flagged by US ambassador to India Sergio Gor, with Modi confirming it soon afterwards in a post on X. There was no statement or readout issued by Trump or the White House about the call.
Modi said he had a “useful exchange of views” with Trump on the situation in West Asia, stressing the need for de-escalation and underlining the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz “open, secure and accessible”. He said both sides would remain in touch on efforts aimed at restoring peace and stability.
According to the NYT report, the discussion centred on the fallout from the Iran conflict, particularly disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies. The paper noted that the halt to most maritime traffic had “led to surging energy prices worldwide and roiled markets”.
The newspaper also pointed out that Musk does not hold a government position anymore, making his participation striking given that “sensitive matters involving national security are often discussed” in such calls.
It was not clear in the report whether Musk spoke during the conversation or why he was included.
The report added that Musk’s business interests intersect with the issues at hand, pointing to investments from West Asian sovereign wealth funds in his companies and his long-standing interest in expanding commercially in India. It stated that SpaceX has been considering an initial public offering that could be affected by global economic instability.
Modi said he had a “useful exchange of views” with Trump on the situation in West Asia, stressing the need for de-escalation and underlining the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz “open, secure and accessible”. He said both sides would remain in touch on efforts aimed at restoring peace and stability.
According to the NYT report, the discussion centred on the fallout from the Iran conflict, particularly disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies. The paper noted that the halt to most maritime traffic had “led to surging energy prices worldwide and roiled markets”.
The newspaper also pointed out that Musk does not hold a government position anymore, making his participation striking given that “sensitive matters involving national security are often discussed” in such calls.
It was not clear in the report whether Musk spoke during the conversation or why he was included.
The report added that Musk’s business interests intersect with the issues at hand, pointing to investments from West Asian sovereign wealth funds in his companies and his long-standing interest in expanding commercially in India. It stated that SpaceX has been considering an initial public offering that could be affected by global economic instability.
No comments:
Post a Comment