Mitochondrial iron transporter that specifically mediates iron uptake in developing erythroid cells, thereby playing an essential role in heme biosynthesis. The iron delivered into the mitochondria, presumably as Fe(2+), is then probably delivered to ferrochelatase to catalyze Fe(2+) incorporation into protoprophyrin IX to make heme. Highly expressed in hematopoietic organs, Expressed in the intermediate cell mass (ICM), a tissue equivalent to the mammalian extraembryonic yolk-sac blood islands. Colocalizes with gata1. Belongs to the mitochondrial carrier (TC 2.A.29) family.