Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez said on 2026-09-02 that elections will be held when 'Venezuela is prepared,' responding to a journalist's question during a conference in Caracas. ^[1] Chris Wright, the US Energy Secretary, will travel to Venezuela on Wednesday to sign an agreement with a private entity. ^[2] President Donald Trump announced on Friday an agreement to exploit oil fields in Venezuela equivalent to 65 billion barrels of crude. ^[3] The oil agreement to be signed in La Guaira on 2026-09-02 will grant the United States effective control over a large portion of Venezuela's oil reserves. ^[4] Donald Trump said the United States gained control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil reserves. ^[5] US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said on an unspecified date that 17 million barrels of oil transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. ^[6] AFP reports that Nicolás Maduro was ousted as Venezuela's leader on 2026-01-03 in a United States intervention, after which Delcy Rodríguez became interim president. ^[7] On 2026-09-02 in Caracas, multi-million-dollar energy agreements were signed in the presence of US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, during a conference at which Delcy Rodríguez made her election remarks. ^[8] US President Donald Trump said on 2026-09-02 from Washington that Venezuela is not ready to hold elections, stating 'We took them out of a dictatorship and we are getting along very well with the government.' ^[9] Chevron plans to announce an expansion of its operations in Venezuela. ^[10] Interim President Delcy Rodríguez confirmed the agreement announced by Trump, emphasizing that Venezuela will maintain sovereignty over its hydrocarbon resources as stipulated by the Constitution. ^[11] The Venezuelan parliament backed the agreement on Tuesday. ^[12]