India denies Elon Musk joined Modi-Trump call on Iran crisis – UK Times

India has categorically refuted previous reports claiming that tech multibillionaire Elon Musk was a participant during a call between prime minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump about the war in Iran.

Last week, The New York Times reported, citing two US officials, that the Tesla titan joined a phone call ⁠between Mr Trump and Mr Modi discussing the evolving crisis in the Middle East, and the Iranian military’s control of the Strait of Hormuz.

The 24 March call came a day after Mr Trump paused planned strikes on Iran, and as both India and the US stressed the need to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.

India has been one of the worst-affected Asian countries by the near-complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, due to its heavy dependence on oil imports from the Gulf.

“Ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible is essential for the whole world,” Mr Modi posted on X following the call with the US president.

The NYT report on Friday sparked criticism from India’s leading opposition Congress party, which raised questions about transparency and protocol during a high-level diplomatic exchange.

It hinted that the world’s richest man seemed to be “back on better terms” with the US president, though it wasn’t clear why he was on the call or whether he spoke.

The Tesla boss and SpaceX chief has looked to India as a potential lucrative market for his automotive and satellite internet service ventures.

Mr Musk’s Starlink internet provider is awaiting final clearances to operate in India.

“Why was a businessman present when two national leaders were discussing a global crisis? What role did Elon Musk play in this conversation? Was this truly about the West Asia crisis, or was there another ‘business’ agenda?” the Congress party posted on X.

“Trump spoke to leaders of different countries during the war, but no businessman was on any of those calls. Why did this happen only with Modi?” it asked.

Now, the Indian external affairs ministry has denied reports that Musk joined the Tuesday call between Mr Modi and Mr Trump.

“We have seen the story. The telephone conversation on 24 March was between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump only,” ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

“As has been stated earlier, it provided the opportunity for exchange of views on the situation in West Asia,” Mr Jaiswal said.

But the Indian ministry’s statement stopped short of denying that Mr Musk was physically present while the two heads of state were conversing.

Neither the White House nor Mr Musk has made any clarification on the report.

The Independent has reached out to India’s external affairs ministry for comments.