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Negotiations over Irans nuclear program are expected to continue right up until their Tuesday night deadline, with Iran and six world powers still divided on a variety of issues despite marathon meetings between their foreign ministers, officials said Sunday.

Although the negotiators are close to agreement on some difficult issues, they remain at odds on the pace for lifting United Nations sanctions on Iran, and the easing of restrictions on Irans nuclear research and development in the last five years of the expected 10- to 15-year deal, a senior U.S. official said. Other issues, too, remain unresolved, said the official, who declined to be identified under ground rules often invoked by the Obama administration.

Critics of the deal, including Israel and Saudi Arabia, renewed their concerns, while a former top administration intelligence official said that the deal would be dangerous and that President Obamas Middle East policy is one of willful ignorance.

One of the things that we have to keep in mind is Iran is also a country with ballistic missiles, cyber capabilities. They are also still a state sponsor of terrorism, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said on Fox News Sunday.

Flynn, who retired last summer as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, added: And here we are dealing with them as though we're going to give them a carte blanche. I mean, give me a break.

Iran and the six world powers are seeking a deal that would ease sanctions on Tehran if it agrees to accept restrictions aimed at preventing it from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The diplomats are aiming to complete a preliminary agreement, resolving all the major political decisions, by the end of the month. Then they would thrash out the details of a comprehensive deal by June 30.

The foreign ministers of all seven countries arrived at a five-star hotel in this lakeside city by Sunday night, with most committed to staying until the deal is done. Secretary of State John F. Kerry, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier have canceled plans to leave early in the week.

Early Sunday, Kerry announced that he would not attend Mondays dedication in Boston of an institute honoring the late Edward M. Kennedy, who served in the Senate with Kerry for 25 years.

Iran has been pressing hard to be allowed to step up research and development in the final years of the agreement so it can quickly ramp up enrichment to industrial levels.

The diplomatic bloc which includes France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China is also resisting Irans demand that all United Nations sanctions be dropped at the beginning of the deal. The senior U.S. official said the American team remains committed to having the U.N. sanctions lifted gradually, as Iran complies with the requirements of the deal.

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Iran nuclear talks expected to last right up to deadline