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Trump-Modi Call on Iran War Includes Musk

Leaders report discussing Strait of Hormuz
Posted Mar 28, 2026 11:40 AM CDT
Trump Includes Musk on Talk With Modi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a ceremony to distribute land titles known as "pattas" in Guwahati, India, on Friday, March 13, 2026.   (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Elon Musk joined a phone call this week between President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the war with Iran, according to two US officials, an uncommon role for a private citizen on a sensitive wartime discussion. The officials said it was not clear why Musk was included or whether he said anything during the conversation, the New York Times reports. The call focused on Iran's tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global oil and gas shipments whose effective shutdown has driven up energy prices and rattled markets, particularly in Asia.

Modi later posted that keeping the waterway "open, secure and accessible is essential for the whole world." Neither the US nor India mentioned Musk's presence in their official readouts on the call. Musk has deep business ties in the region, per the Times. His companies have taken funding from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds, and Musk has long sought a bigger foothold in India for Tesla—which opened its first showroom in India last year—SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, and his artificial intelligence ventures. Starlink is still awaiting regulatory approval in India. The full Times story can be found here.

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