Which component is iron-containing and carries oxygen in red blood cells?

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Oxygen is carried in the blood by a protein that contains iron in its heme groups, allowing reversible binding of oxygen. This protein is hemoglobin, which is inside red blood cells and can pick up oxygen in the lungs and release it to tissues throughout the body. Myoglobin also contains iron and binds oxygen, but it’s found in muscle tissue for storage and diffusion of oxygen, not in red blood cells. Fibrinogen and albumin serve other roles in the blood and do not transport oxygen. Therefore, the iron-containing transporter of oxygen in red blood cells is hemoglobin.