I agreed with you until I realizd that all they would have had to do was turn off the air system. Why risk having a stallout at 45,000 feet when all they had to do was flip a switch?
I’ve seen 777 pilots on TV explain the plane won’t automatically stall at 45,000 feet. It depends on the weight and speed of the plane.
Also, people don’t automatically die at 45,000 feet. They will lose consciousness but would still be alive. It may have been to subdue them.
Correcto!
Within a few seconds all were unconscious and in a few minutes all were frozen and quiet, except of course the pilot and his two Iranian helpers.