Iron ore sinter constitutes the major component of the iron-bearing burden in blast furnaces, and its reduction mechanism is one of the keys to improving the productivity of ironmaking. Iron ore sinter is composed of multiple iron oxide phases and calcium ferrites (CFs), and their heterogeneous reduction was investigated in terms of changes in iron chemical state: Fe-III, Fe-II, and Fe-0 were examined macroscopically by 2D X-ray absorption and microscopically by 3D transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM). It was shown that the reduction starts at iron oxide grains rather than at calcium ferrite (CF) grains, especially those located near micropores. The heterogeneous reduction causes crack formation and deteriorates the mechanical strength of the sinter. These results help us to understand the fundamental aspects of heterogeneous reduction schemes in iron ore sinter.