The United States and Japan are holding meetings to discuss the implementation of sanctions on Iran over its disputed program, the U.S. government said on Wednesday.

U.S. State Department Special Advisor for Nonproliferation and Arms Control Robert Einhorn and Treasury Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing Daniel Glaser are meeting in Washington this week with a Japanese delegation, which includes officials from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Finance, to continue discussions on imposing sanctions on Iran, said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland at the daily press briefing.

"The United States and Japan reaffirm their shared interest in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and the importance of a dual-track strategy in dealing with Iran: both pressure and engagement, to persuade Iran to address the international community' s serious concerns about its nuclear program," Nuland said.

The meetings in Washington will build upon the "constructive and productive conversations" held last month in Tokyo between senior officials of both governments, she added.

The United States has been rallying its allies in imposing crippling sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program, which Tehran describes as solely for peaceful use of nuclear energy while the United States and its Western allies suspect as an attempt to acquire nuclear weapons.

On Dec. 31, U.S. President Barack Obama signed a bill on imposing new sanctions on Iran, targeting foreign financial institutions that do business with Iran's central bank, the main conduit for its oil revenues.

Last week, the European Union (EU) imposed further sanctions against Iran's oil exports as well as its central bank, following the U.S. steps.

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency director David Petraeus, who testified Tuesday at a Senate hearing, said new sanctions on Iran "have been biting much, much more in recent weeks," though it remained to be seen whether they would force Iran to change its course on its nuclear program.