EXCLUSIVE-US seizing Venezuela-linked oil tanker after weeks-long pursuit

WASHINGTON, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The United States is attempting to seize a Venezuela-linked oil tanker after a more than two-week-long pursuit across the Atlantic, a U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday.

The seizure, which could stoke tensions with Russia, came after the tanker, originally known as the Bella-1, slipped through a U.S. maritime "blockade" of sanctioned tankers and rebuffed U.S. Coast Guard efforts to board it.

The official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, said the operation is being carried out by the Coast Guard and U.S. military.