Abstract: Iron ore plays a critical role in society’s sustainable development as a fundamental material. Although China possesses substantial iron ore reserves, it faces significant challenges, including low ore grades, a predominance of low-quality ores, and a scarcity of high-quality ores. With the development of the economy and the progress of mining technology, the extraction volume of iron ore in China has gradually increased. However, China’s dependence on iron ore imports remains relatively high. Moreover, the mining process has also triggered a number of safety and environmental issues, which poses a serious challenge to the supply security of iron ore resources. In this context, 602 Chinese and 626 English papers from the core journals of the China Knowledge Network（CNKI） and Web of Science（WoS） databases are collected to analyze the research status, hotspots, and frontiers in the field of iron ore safety risks up to 2024. Knowledge graph is employed to examine collaborators, research countries and institutions, keyword clustering, and spatial and temporal distribution. The results reveal a continuous global increase in publications on iron ore safety risks, with China leading in research achievements. However, international collaboration between other countries and China remains limited. The development and comprehensive utilization of iron ore have always been a research focus. In recent years, research hotspots have been concentrated on safety risk assessment during the mining process, environmental pollution control, comprehensive utilization of resources, and national resource security. These trends reflect the field’s prioritization of safety, environmental protection, and the rational use of resources in iron ore development. The research frontiers emphasize intelligent, green, and sustainable development, including intelligent mine safety management systems, green mine development, mine environmental restoration, and low-carbon sustainable practices. Future research should prioritize establishing assessment methodologies and standard systems tailored to the geological conditions, mining techniques, and environmental factors of specific mines. Additionally, integrating intelligent technologies into safety risk assessments should be deepened to enable real-time monitoring, precise prediction, and intelligent decision-making for iron ore safety risks.