Musk’s Presence in Trump–Modi Call on Iran War Sparks Controversy

The American newspaper The New York Times has claimed that Donald Trump and Narendra Modi held a telephone call on March 24 in which Elon Musk was also present. The call was held to discuss the Iran war and particularly the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, where global energy supplies are being affected. According to The New York Times, the presence of a private citizen in a call between the heads of two countries was highly unusual.

India’s opposition party Indian National Congress took a strong stance on social media, stating that Elon Musk is an ordinary citizen and businessman. Why was he present in an important telephone call between the two leaders, Modi and Trump, especially when the call was about a global crisis, war, and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz? The Congress raised a series of questions, asking what need there was for a businessman during discussions between two national leaders on a global crisis.

What was Elon Musk’s role? Was he just listening, or was he also participating in the conversation? And was this call really about global crisis matters, or was there a business agenda behind it related to Musk’s companies’ interests in India? The Congress questioned that Trump also made calls to leaders of other countries during the war, but no businessman was present in any of those calls—so why did this happen only with Modi? The Congress stated that this is a violation of diplomatic protocol and an issue of transparency concerning national interests.

Meanwhile, India’s Ministry of External Affairs has rejected The New York Times report, which claimed that Elon Musk participated in an important telephonic contact with Trump and Modi regarding the Iran war. The White House described the call as positive but did not provide a complete clarification regarding Musk’s presence.