Shaykh Salih al-Luhaydan explains that Iran was historically Sunni, mainly following the Shafi‘i school. In the 9th century AH, the Safawi king Isma‘il bin Haidar carried out mass killings of Sunni scholars and followers, leading to Iran’s shift toward Shia dominance.
In the past, the general public of Iran were upon the Shāfiʿī school of thought. And they remained upon this path until the 9th century after hijrah. Then the Rafidhī king, [Ismāʿil bin Haidār] al-Safawī of Iran [Fars] murdered over a million Sunnis who were upon the Shāfiʿī school of thought in that land.
