The US on Wednesday announced new sanctions on Iranian officials for their alleged role in cracking down on protesters inside Iran as demonstrations and violence continue across the country.

Announcing the sanctions, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US will "continue to find ways to support" protesters inside Iran. He said the measures target 14 individuals and three entities.

The new sanctions come as negotiations between the US and Iran to revive the nuclear deal, the JCPOA, have been stalled. US officials have said the JCPOA is not their "focus" now as they look for ways to support Iranian protesters. An Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Wednesday that the US has soured on the possibility of resuming talks with Tehran.

The new sanctions hit members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iranians that work in the country's prison system. The entities targeted by the sanctions are accused of participating in censorship and the surveillance of Iranians.