The United States is attempting to seize a Venezuela-linked oil tanker after a more than two-week-long pursuit across the Atlantic, two US officials told Reuters on Wednesday.
The attempted seizure, which could stoke tensions with Russia, came after the tanker, originally known as the Bella-1, slipped through a US maritime "blockade" of sanctioned tankers and rebuffed US Coast Guard efforts to board it.
The officials, who were speaking on condition of anonymity, said the operation is being carried out by the Coast Guard and US military.
They added that Russian military vessels were in the general vicinity when the operation
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