Iran faces return of sweeping sanctions from UK, France and Germany

Decision by European powers follows Iran's failure to readmit UN inspectors to all of its nuclear sites

The UK, France and Germany are expected to announce on Thursday that they will reimpose sweeping sanctions on Iran for failing to readmit UN inspectors into all of its nuclear sites.

The decision, under consideration for months, is likely to provoke the worst crisis in Iran's relations with the west since Israel's attacks on the country's nuclear sites in June. Iran is already preparing countermeasures.