Rebellion of Sheikh Ahmad Madani

When Sultan Husayn abdicated on October 23 to Mahmud Hotak,[7] the Hotaks didn't control much of the country. They slowly consolidated their position around Isfahan by taking notable villages and towns in Iraq-e Ajam[8][7][6] and then moved south. On July 7, 1723, A Hotaki force moved out of Isfahan to besiege Shiraz.[9] They first subdued Hajji Baqer, the Arab warlord that controlled the district of Qomisheh[8][9][7] and besieged Shiraz by July 28.[9] On April 14, 1724, Shiraz fell,[9] allowing Hotak forces to spread to take more major towns in the South. In late June 1724 Lar was occupied by the Afghans, and on November 3 Bandar Abbas was occupied by an Afghan force coming from Lar.[7][9] The Afghans were only able to control the major cities during their occupation of Iran. As Willem Floor notes in his book "The Rise and Fall of Nader Shah: Dutch East India Company Reports, 1730-1747":

"During the 1726-1730 period the Afghans certainly were not the absolute masters of Larestan or the Garmsirat. In fact, they were only obeyed in those places where they had a strong garrison or when they sent an army to subjugate a certain village. In October 1729 Neda Khan, the Afghan governor of Lar, was unable to destroy Sulgari, because he lacked the proper artillery. He was also opposed at the village of Gheyst (?). For his logistical and military support Neda Khan relied on the local Sunni Arab petty rulers."[1]

On June 3, 1725, pro-Safavid forces recaptured Lar (although Afghan forces were still in the vicinity) and on June 10 Bandar Abbas was recaptured.[9] In 1726 the expansion of a Safavid prince, Shah Ahmad Marashi, threatened the Afghan hold on the region. However, by late 1727 the Afghans made a counterattack. On December 20, 1727, the Afghans entered Bandar Abbas (a town which had been controlled by Shah Ahmad since October 1727)[9] and by September 1728 the rebellion was crushed and he was executed. On December 16, 1729, Bandar Abbas was re-occupied by Safavid forces.[7][1] However a few days later the Afghans retook the city. On January 9, 1730, the Afghan governor of Bandar Abbas fled to Shiraz, and the Battle of Zarghan on 15 January 1730[10] destroyed the Afghan effort completely. Various groups of Afghans fled to Lar while others were murdered by the villagers of the surrounding area.[6] The Afghan power had been utterly shattered, and many fled into the arms of the welcoming coastal Arabs.