US President George W. Bush has imposed economic sanctions against Zimbawe's President Robert Mugabe on grounds that he is systematically undermining the country's democratic institutions.
The executive order blocks all property and financial holdings in the US of the Zimbabwean president and 76 government officials.
It also bars US citizens from having any financial dealings with the listed people.
The order states the Mugabe government's policies are "contributing to the deliberate breakdown in the rule of law in Zimbabwe, to politically motivated violence and intimidation in that country and to political and economic instability in the southern African region".
Mr Bush's order "is aimed not at the people of Zimbabwe but rather at those most responsible for their current plight", White House press secretary Mr Ari Fleischer said.
His statement hinted at other US actions "to support the aspirations of Zimbabwe's people for a peaceful and democratic future".
AP