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The international negotiations to strike a nuclear agreement with Iran intensified and took on a frantic tone Saturday, as France and Germany joined in the talks that have recently been limited to the United States and Tehran.

The negotiators are trying to reach an outline of an agreement by Tuesday, toward a final agreement by June 30 that would end Irans pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

Secretary of State John Kerry and the other negotiators have met multiple times this weekend in various formats in the Swiss town of Lausanne.

The serious but difficult work continues, a senior State Department official said. We expect the pace to intensify as we assess if an understanding is possible.

In another nod to the fast-approaching deadline, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke by phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to emphasize the importance of reaching an agreement.

Iranian negotiator Majid Takht-e Ravanchi denied a news report that the sides were close to agreement on a text, and other officials spoke of remaining obstacles, including Iranian resistance to limits on research and development and demands for more speedy and broad relief from international sanctions.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters as he arrived that the talks have been "long and difficult.

We've advanced on certain issues, not yet enough on others," he said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, meanwhile, suggested the blame for any impasses lies with the U.S. and its partners.

"In negotiations, both sides must show flexibility," he wrote on Twitter. "We have and are ready to make a good deal for all. We await our counterparts' readiness."

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As deadline looms, Iran nuke talks take on frantic tone ...

Story highlights Two key sticking points: 1. What would be limits on Iranian nuclear research? 2. When would U.N. sanctions be lifted? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns the deal would be a disaster

As the negotiations entered their fourth day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the agreement coming together is worse than Israel's deepest fears.

The talks had hit a snag on Saturday, with diplomats describing Iran as refusing to budge, but as the French, German and Chinese foreign ministers arrived, the mood seemed more optimistic. The British and Russian foreign ministers were expected late Sunday.

U.S. officials and Western diplomats described the negotiations as tough and intense, which was expected as the talks reached the endgame.

They said the contours of a deal are becoming clearer, but they were unsure it could be reached. Two core issues are still unresolved: 1. Limits on Iranian research and development on advanced nuclear technology in the end years of the deal. 2. The pace of lifting United Nations sanctions.

The U.S. officials stressed all of the elements were interrelated and nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to, comparing the final deal to a puzzle. But they indicated most of the other elements were solvable if those two major hurdles could be overcome.

The speed of which U.N. sanctions could be lifted remains in dispute. Iran wants them lifted immediately after the deal goes into effect.

While diplomats say Iran could see unilateral sanctions relief in the areas of trade, oil and banking, sanctions adopted by the United Nations are more complicated. Many are related to proliferation and transfer of missile technology and are tied to certification by the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, that Iran's nuclear program does not have a military dimension.

On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif made clear the issue of sanctions remains a stumbling block, saying he believes the world powers "have realized that sanctions, pressure and an agreement will not go together. It's only to translate that understanding and realization into the agreement that we are negotiating."

U.S. officials said that all sides, including Iran, agree that sanctions would be lifted in phases over time as Iran confirms its compliance to the deal. But they acknowledge there is still disagreement on the actual formula.

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Iran nuclear talks intensify

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

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