Ever since John F. Kennedy signed Presidential Proclamation 3447 on Feb. 3, 1962, declaring «an
embargo upon all
trade» in response to Cuba nationalizing U.S. - owned Cuban oil refineries without compensation, Americans have been effectively
blocked from doing business in the country.
Finally,
embargoes are put into place which curtail exports to the targeted country to harm their quality of life and economic efficiency and / or
block imports from the country, preventing them from making money from international
trade.