Paul the "oracle octopus" 'symbol 'of the West's evil tentacles

GERMANS want to eat him, Spaniards want to beatify him, bookmakers want to hire him.

And now Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Paul the "oracle octopus" is a symbol of all that is wrong with the Western world.

The outspoken populist temporarily shifted away from favourite targets Israel and America to condemn the eight-legged World Cup forecaster as a symbol of decadence and decay among his enemies.

Paul is the beloved cephalopod of Oberhausen, Germany who won the hearts of the Spanish - and broke those of Germany - by predicting their World Cup victory.

He became an international superstar for predicting the outcome of all seven German World Cup matches accurately by selecting the correct national flag of the winner for each game.

But he has earned the wrath of Iranian president for spreading "western propaganda and superstition."

Paul was mentioned by Mr Ahmadinejad during a speech in Tehran at the weekend.

"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," he said.

Mr Ahmadinejad's conservative political opponents in Iran have themselves recently accused him of having "cultish" religious beliefs.