By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - The United States is looking at deepening sanctions against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his supporters but will continue to provide humanitarian aid, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday.

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Fraser said the United States, which already has tough financial and travel sanctions in place against Mugabe and members of his government, wants to do more.

"We are looking at additional sanctions against individuals who are supporting this regime. We can deepen the sanctions that are already there, can add more individuals to those travel sanctions," she told Reuters in an interview.

Fraser stressed the United States was also looking at ways to ease the plight of Zimbabweans, who face 4,500 percent inflation rates and food and fuel shortages.

Once viewed as southern Africa's bread basket, Zimbabwe is suffering a political and economic crisis and last week the United States offered 47,400 metric tons of additional food assistance to the country, which the White House said would help 500,000 people.

Mugabe, 83, is accused of plunging the southern African state into its worst economic crisis through a series of controversial policies, including his seizure of thousands of white-owned farms.

He has also cracked down hard on the opposition, and rights groups say he has beaten, tortured and in some cases killed anti-Mugabe activists.

"One day his (Mugabe's) government will come to an end and his people will still be there and they will need to restore that economy and that society," Fraser said.

The United States has signaled strong support for Zimbabwe's opposition movement, which has been subject to a massive crackdown by Mugabe, who has been in power since independence from Britain in 1980.

Fraser urged other southern African countries, such as South Africa, which has taken the lead mediating with Mugabe, to push for concrete results.

She also urged China, which is a strong investor in Zimbabwe, to put more pressure on Mugabe.

"The Chinese may be trying to rescue this government. We are looking to the Chinese to put pressure on the government of Sudan and we would hope they would not support the repressive regime in Zimbabwe," Fraser said.

Mugabe said on Tuesday that Britain and its Western allies had "redoubled" their efforts to topple him and he accused them of sponsoring violence to destabilize his country.

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