The Abbasid–Saffarid partnership in Iran was most clearly expressed against the intrepid general Rafi ibn Harthama, who had made his base in Ray and posed a threat to both caliphal and Saffarid interests in the region. Al-Mu'tadid sent the Dulafid Ahmad ibn Abd al-Aziz to seize Ray from Rafi, who fled and made common cause with the Zaydis of Tabaristan in an effort to conquer Khurasan from the Saffarids.
The Abbasid-Saffarid alliance in Iran was most clearly demonstrated against the courageous general Rafi ibn Harthama, who had established his base in Ray and posed a threat to both caliphal and Saffarid interests in the region. Al-Mu'tadid dispatched the Dulafid Ahmad ibn Abd al-Aziz to seize Ray from Rafi, who fled and formed an alliance with the Zaydis of Tabaristan to conquer Khurasan from the Saffarids.