Ahmadinejad says Paul the octopus decadent

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Paul the Octopus, the sea creature that correctly predicted the outcome of World Cup games in South Africa, is a symbol of all that is wrong with the western world.

During a speech he delivered in Tehran over the weekend, Ahmadinejad said the octopus is a symbol of decadence and decay among "his enemies", and accused the octopus of spreading "western propaganda and superstition."

Paul became an international star after accurately predicting the outcome of all seven World Cup matches of the German national team.

The octopus, who lives at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre, in Germany, also won the hearts of the Spanish by predicting their World Cup victory over Holland.

"Those who believe in this type of thing cannot be the leaders of the global nations that aspire, like Iran, to human perfection, basing themselves in the love of all sacred values," Ahmadinejad said.

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