USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -During the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) imposed an embargo against the United States in retaliation for the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military and to gain leverage in the post-war peace negotiations.

Detailed explanation-2: -On October 19, 1973, immediately following President Nixon’s request for Congress to make available $2.2 billion in emergency aid to Israel for the conflict known as the Yom Kippur War, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) instituted an oil embargo on the United States (Reich 1995).

Detailed explanation-3: -Following the Yom Kippur War, the canal was cleared in 1974 and opened again in 1975. OAPEC countries cut production of oil and placed an embargo on oil exports to the United States after Richard Nixon requested $2.2 billion to support Israel’s war effort.

Detailed explanation-4: -The embargo caused the United States and western European countries to reassess their dependence upon Middle Eastern oil. It also led to far-reaching changes in domestic energy policy, including increased domestic oil production in the United States and a greater emphasis on improving energy efficiency.

Detailed explanation-5: -A number of Arab oil-exporting countries tried to influence the outcome by taking three key measures: raising the posted price of oil by 70%, reducing their output by 5%, and suspending shipments to countries that had directly supported Israel with arms shipments, mainly the United States and the Netherlands.