Original sentence: Additionally, the United States government maintains that Iran gives weapons, bomb technology and military training to Shiite militias in Iraq.As a result, it has tried to limit the influence of the United States, which currently has hundreds of thousands of troops stationed in three of Iran's neighbors:  Iraq, Afganistan, and Turkey.Iran has denied any involvement in the civil war in Iraq.Iran is deeply committed to limiting or eliminating the influence of Western powers in the Middle East, and to preventing the resurgence of a Sunni-dominated Iraq.Iran's government has denied this, while steadfastly maintaining that their nation has as much of a right to atomic weapons as the Western powers, Russia, China, or Israel.Iran's government has well-established military and political ties with Hezbollah in Lebanon, which is engaged in an armed struggle with Israel.These militias, which include Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, in turn use this training and technology in attacks against Sunni militias and US coalition forces in Iraq.Western powers, including the United States and the United Kingdom, maintain that Iran is working towards the construction of an atomic bomb.While Iran has avoided direct military confrontation with the United States, Iran is able to project power and influence in the region through proxy sources