Ban is to operate on worked amber (7)
I believe the answer is:
embargo
'ban' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'operate on worked amber' is the wordplay.
'operate' becomes 'go' ('go' can be a synonym of 'operate').
'on' says to put letters next to each other.
'worked' indicates an anagram.
'amber' is an anagram of 'embar'.
'go' put after 'embar' is 'EMBARGO'.
'is to' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for embargo that I've seen before include "Trading restriction" , "Official ban on trade or commerce" , "Stop" , "Proscribe, ban" , "Prevent publication" .)