American visiting Iran but encountering significant expense and obstacles

I'm hoping to visit somebody I've known online for several months and who shares many interests. Her family is secular and fairly westernized, and her father offered to sponsor me but was summarily denied. I'll likely go through a travel agent there to secure the visa but am hoping not to have to spend exorbitant tour group or guide fees. I'm open to hiring a guide but the few I've encountered so far seem to be asking around $2,000 per person. Ideally, I'm hoping for less expensive services so I can travel with her and her father, possibly a guide who will charge a flat fee which the three of us can split. Any suggestions?