diff --git a/src/secp256k1/src/tests.c b/src/secp256k1/src/tests.c
--- a/src/secp256k1/src/tests.c
+++ b/src/secp256k1/src/tests.c
@@ -5635,6 +5635,15 @@
     /* find iteration count */
     if (argc > 1) {
         count = strtol(argv[1], NULL, 0);
+    } else {
+        const char* env = getenv("SECP256K1_TEST_ITERS");
+        if (env) {
+            count = strtol(env, NULL, 0);
+        }
+    }
+    if (count <= 0) {
+        fputs("An iteration count of 0 or less is not allowed.\n", stderr);
+        return EXIT_FAILURE;
     }
     printf("test count = %i\n", count);