Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has criticized Paul the octopus, who gained fame by correctly predicting the outcome of eight World Cup matches.
The Iranian leader called Paul a symbol of decadence and decay in the Western world. Mr. Ahmadinejad also said those who believe in a psychic octopus cannot be leaders of nations like Iran "that aspire to human perfection."
Iran's state-run media said the president discussed the octopus during a speech to a youth festival in Tehran on Friday.
Paul lives at the Oberhausen Sea Life Center in Germany.
The eight-legged sea creature picked the outcome of this year's World Cup matches in South Africa by choosing to eat from a box of mussels labeled with the flag of the winning team.
Paul correctly predicted the winner of all seven of Germany's matches. He also picked Spain to defeat the Netherlands in the final.
