An iterative local Fourier transform (ILFT)-based high-accuracy wavelength calibration for Fourier transform imaging spectrometer (FTIS) is proposed. The wavelength calibration for FTIS is to determine the relation between the wavelength and the wavenumber position. However, the wavenumber position solved by conventional method is only accurate up to integers restricted by the picket-fence effect of discrete Fourier transform. While the proposed ILFT can increase the accuracy of calculating the wavenumber position by combining the local Fourier transform and a few iterations. In this paper, the method is investigated in theory and then by simulations and experiments. The simulations show that the accuracy of the wavenumber position calculated by the ILFT is increased by 100 times than conventional method with noise, phase error, and non-uniform sampling of optical path difference. And the experimental results indicate that the ILFT decreases the absolute error of wavelength calibration from about 2.03 nm to 0.16 nm. Therefore, the method provides theoretical and technical support for FTIS and promotes the development of superior resolutions therein. © 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement