Embargo, prohibition of export from or import to any country of commodities, gold or securities. An embargo can be imposed either in war time or in peacetime. During a war, an embargo becomes a form of economic blockade. In peacetime an embargo is used as an instrument of political and economic pressure on another country. On different occasions, some capitalist countries tried to impose an embargo on the import from the USSR of gold and commodities. The UN Charter provides for the imposition of an embargo as a collective measure against a country whose actions threaten international peace and security. However, after World War II, some imperialist states used embargoes for aggressive purposes in violation of the UN principles.