A method for smelting reduction of iron ore comprises the steps of: preheating and prereducing iron ore; charging said preheated and prereduced iron ore, carbonaceous material and flux into a smelting reduction furnace; blowing oxygen gas through a top blow oxygen lance having decarburizing nozzles and post-combustion nozzles into said smelting reduction furnace, an end of said top blow oxygen lance being arranged between an upper side level of a slag layer and a lower side level of said slag layer; blowing a stirring gas through at least one side tuyere placed in side wall of said smelting furnace and at least one bottom tuyer placed in bottom wall of said reduction furnace so that at least part of said stirring gas introduced through at least one said side tuyere hits a swollen portion of the molten metal by said stirring gas introduced through at least one said bottom tuyere; and controlling a flow rate of said oxygen gas and said stirring gas blown in said smelting reduction furnace so that an OD of infurnace gas of said smelting furnace ranges 0.5 to 1.0, where said OD is represented by the following formula: OD=(H.sub.2 O+CO.sub.2 )/(H.sub.2 +H.sub.2 O+CO+CO.sub.2). And, further, an apparatus used in the above-mentioned method.