Embargoes are limitations on foreign trade transactions. They prohibit certain acts and legal transactions in foreign trade with a particular country or particular persons or groups of persons.

There are distinctions between total embargoes, partial embargoes and arms embargoes.

Total embargoes prohibit all trade with or on behalf of the targeted parties. An example of a total embargo is the total trade embargo against Iraq, which was raised in 2003 and replaced with a partial embargo.

A partial embargo is only directed at certain parts of the economy, while the arms embargo only applies to weapons, munitions, and military equipment.

There are also distinctions between embargoes directed at states, goods, and persons.