Donald Trump
Donald TrumpReuters

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Saturday said President Barack Obama lied to the American people about the United States' $400 million payment to Iran.

The Wall Street Journal on Thursday provided new details about the money transfer, which occurred on January 17, revealing that it was tightly scripted and specifically timed to the release of several American prisoners held in Iran.

The administration originally insisted negotiations to return the Iranian money from a 1970s account to buy U.S. military equipment were conducted separately from talks to free four U.S. citizens in Iran, but later noted the U.S. withheld the delivery of the cash as leverage until Iran permitted the Americans to leave the country.

"While President Obama and Hillary Clinton are shrinking America's military, they are also expanding, through allowing it to happen, the military of Iran," Trump said Saturday at a rally in Fredericksburg, Virginia, according to The Hill.

"They are doing this with their disastrous deal that puts Iran on a path to nuclear weapons and gives them another $150 million, not to mention the $400 million in cash, which turned out to be a ransom payment after all, just like I said. in other words, our president lied to us. He lied to us," added Trump.

On Friday, Republicans blasted the Obama administration after it acknowledged that cash payment to Iran was contingent on the release of the American prisoners.