A study of Fe-ZSM-5 catalysts with variable amounts of isolated, oligomeric and heavily aggregated Fe3+ oxo sites (as evidenced by UV-Vis and EPR spectroscopic data) and their catalytic properties in the selective catalytic reduction of NO by isobutane or by NH3 is presented, which allows development of a unified concept of the active Fe sites in these reactions, according to which isolated Fe sites catalyse both SCR reactions while oligomeric sites, though also involved in the selective reduction path, limit the catalyst performance by causing the total oxidation of the reductant.