The Safavids did not expand much. They tried to expand religiously. They were focused on defending themselves. They had trouble affording firearms. They also had problems with controlling the nomads.
Shah Abbas 1 or Shah Abbas was the Great Leader during Golden Age and Gunpowder Empire. Heade alliances with Europeans. He gave jobs to non-Safavids. He changed Iran's capitol to Isfahan. He gave land grants to military elite to gain loyalty, but eventually there were no more land grants to give.