Why would an oil embargo by one nation not work?

Why would an oil embargo against another nation by one nation not work?

I know it won’t work, but I can’t think of the economics terminology that would explain why it wouldn’t. I know the consumers could simply go to another nation, but somehow that seems like an unsatisfactory explanation.

Embargos work at what they are intended to do, which is make everyone in the embargoed region poorer. Of course, it also makes the people on embargoing side poorer.