The United States has adopted sanctions Wednesday against eight Iranian government officials for "serious violations of human rights committed against the people of Iran".

The White House accused the Iranian officials on the basis of credible evidence of having been "involved in the commission of serious violations of human rights during or after the presidential election in Iran in 2009."

"The individuals appointed will be exposed to financial sanctions and visa bans under U.S. law," said the White House in a statement.

"The list of these names is not exhaustive and will continue to s' lie in different events and further information or evidence as and when we have knowledge," the statement said.

This release also reaffirms that "the United States is strongly committed to the promotion of human rights worldwide, including in the Islamic Republic of Iran", and will always be "next to those in Iran who aspire to make their voices heard. "

"We will be the voices of these universal aspirations, and we continue to ask the Iranian government to respect the rights of its people," said the White House.

In his address to the UN General Assembly last week, U.S. President Barack Obama said that human rights were a "challenging both moral and pragmatic grounds for the United States."