Elon Musk participated in a phone call on Tuesday with President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, an unusual appearance by a private citizen on a call between two heads of state during a wartime crisis.
The inclusion of Mr. Musk, confirmed by two U.S. officials, suggests that the world’s richest man is back on better terms with the president. The two men had a falling out last summer following the billionaire’s departure from the government, where he had been tasked with slashing the work force. They appear to have smoothed things over in recent months.
The U.S. officials asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
It is unclear why Mr. Musk was on the call or whether he spoke. His companies have taken on significant investment from sovereign wealth funds in countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Mr. Musk has also long coveted a greater commercial presence in India. And SpaceX, his private rocket company, has been considering an initial public offering later this year, which could be thrown into turmoil if global economic conditions worsen.
The call, American and Indian officials have said, was about the escalating crisis in the Middle East, and in particular the Iranian military’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, which is critical for the shipping of oil and gas around the globe. The halt to most maritime traffic through the strait has led to surging energy prices worldwide and roiled markets. Some Asian nations are on the verge of having to ration fuel.
“Ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible is essential for the whole world. We agreed to stay in touch regarding efforts towards peace and stability,” Mr. Modi wrote on social media on Tuesday.
Neither government mentioned the inclusion of Mr. Musk in the official readouts or interviews.
While he helped elect Mr. Trump and played a significant role in cutting the federal bureaucracy last year, Mr. Musk does not have a government position. In the first months of the administration, he had the title of “special government employee” while overseeing a group known as DOGE that tried to make deep cuts to federal operations and spending, which led to tensions between Mr. Musk and other senior Trump aides.
Mr. Musk did not return multiple requests for comment this week. The White House declined to comment on Mr. Musk’s inclusion.
“President Trump has a great relationship with Prime Minister Modi, and this was a productive conversation,” said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary.
It is relatively rare for the White House to include private citizens on calls between heads of state because sensitive matters involving national security are often discussed. As with many norms, Mr. Trump has chosen his own path on this matter: Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, has no official U.S. government role and yet has been tasked with negotiations in the Middle East, where Mr. Kushner has business interests, and on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
On X, the social media platform he owns, Mr. Musk has been relatively quiet on the war in Iran. Last week, in response to a post that questioned why so many countries relied on the Strait of Hormuz as part of their global supply chains, the billionaire wrote: “We got lazy.” A few days later he shared a meme, suggesting that issues with the strait would slow growth in the artificial intelligence industry and hamper general economic advancement.
Mr. Musk has looked to India as a potentially lucrative market for his automotive, space and artificial intelligence companies. Tesla, his electric automaker, had previously faced hurdles to selling vehicles in India because of tariffs on foreign manufacturers. Starlink, the satellite internet provider from Mr. Musk’s SpaceX, is awaiting final clearances to operate in the country and is still “pending regulatory approval,” according to a company website.
In an interview with Indian television, Mr. Trump’s ambassador to the country, Sergio Gor, described the conversation between Mr. Trump and Mr. Modi as “a very friendly phone call between two world leaders.”
Mr. Gor, in his former position as a White House official, was a key player in the chain of events that led to Mr. Musk’s exit from the Trump administration last summer. Mr. Musk steamed about him to friends privately and publicly called Mr. Gor a “snake.”
At the start of this year, Mr. Musk posted a photo of him dining with Mr. Trump and Melania Trump, the first lady, on Jan. 3 at the Palm Beach club owned by the president, Mar-a-Lago, and said they had a “lovely dinner.” He wrote: “2026 is going to be amazing!”
Edward Wong reports on global affairs, U.S. foreign policy and the State Department for The Times.
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