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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.

The call, held on Tuesday, 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 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.

The report said SpaceX has been considering an initial public offering that could be affected by global economic instability.

© The Wire