Iran is set to come under sweeping UN sanctions late Saturday for the first time in a decade, barring an unexpected last-minute breakthrough, after nuclear talks with the West floundered.

The UN nuclear watchdog on Friday said that inspectors had been allowed to return to Iranian sites, but Western powers did not see enough progress to agree to a delay after a week of top-level diplomacy at the UN General Assembly.

European powers set the clock ticking a month ago for the "snapback" of the UN sanctions, accusing Iran of failing to come clean on its nuclear program -- including through countermeasures it took in response to Israeli and US bombing.

The sanctions are set to go into effect at 0000 GMT on Sunday (8:00 pm on Saturday in New York). They will set up a global ban on working with

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