Note: I think I'm most bummed out about the lack of equity. I know that options are tricky and rarely convert into real lottery tickets (but I still want some skin in the game at this company).
It's definitely possible for a US company to provide stock options to a non-US contractor. There may be some tax specifics for your country of residence (or country of citizenship, perhaps) which make it more difficult?
You'll likely need to do the preliminary legwork to show the company it's feasible, and to figure out what your tax obligations are. Some countries may tax options as compensation when they vest, rather than when they're exercised, for example.
Equity in a company not in your jurisdiction is something quite complex, I'd go for a much higher pay rate rather than the equity to balance things out without the headaches.
You'll likely need to do the preliminary legwork to show the company it's feasible, and to figure out what your tax obligations are. Some countries may tax options as compensation when they vest, rather than when they're exercised, for example.