An oil embargo is an economical sanction which limits the transport of petroleum to or from an area, in order to exact some desired outcome. One commentator states, "[a]n oil embargo is not a common commercial practice; it is a tool of political blackmail, meant to force those at whom it is aimed, into some action they would otherwise not be willing to take".^[1]

Notable examples of international oil embargoes include:

• Oil embargo (Sino-Japanese War), 1941–1945
• 1967 Oil Embargo
• 1973 oil crisis
• 1979 energy crisis
• Embargo against Iran, 2012–2016