TEHRAN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian oil minister said on Tuesday that his country has accepted Russia's proposal to construct a sub-sea pipeline for exporting natural gas to India, Tasnim news agency reported.

"The proposal was made by the Russians and Iran welcomed it," Bijan Namdar Zanganeh was quoted as saying.

A memorandum of understanding in this regard was signed during a visit to Iran by Russian President Vladimir Putin last year, Zanganeh said.

The pipeline from Iran's southern coast to India's Gujarat, via the Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean, is supposed to carry 31.5 million cubic meters gas per day and will be built in two years.