I knew 747s were fast, but not that fast, but on the other hand, can you blame people for being in a hurry to get out of Iran!
As for IR's fleet plans, money - as far as I'm aware - is not the problem. The Iranian parliament has voted for the acquisition of up to 12 A330s; the big problem is technology transfers and the fact that the 330s have more than the maximum allowable content of US technology.
In the current environment, with Dubya's "foreign policy" - but not helped by Iran's evasiveness over nuclear power - the situation for IR isn't getting any better. They have been able to get hold of ex-TK A310s (most of which are going to competing carrier, Mahan Air), but for the moment, things remain stalled.
It is a pity; to my mind, the best way of helping Khatami and the reformers is to allow the economy to expand. Holding them back only feeds into the hands of the mullahs and extremists, who can cover their complete failure at economic management by blaming US sanctions.