Iraqi Kurds have overwhelming voted "yes" in an independence referendum, according to regional officials
The hotly contested referendum had soared relations between the semi-autonomous region and the Iraqi government.
Electoral commission officials on Wednesday told a news conference in Erbil, capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, that 92.73 percent of the 3,305,925 people who cast ballots voted "Yes" in Monday's poll.
Any idea of secession is bitterly opposed by the central government in Baghdad, as well as neighbouring countries such as Turkey and Iran. The United States and the United States had also pressed Kurdish leaders to call off the poll.
But Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi - who rejected the referendum as illegal - told lawmakers on Wednesday there was no question of using its results as the basis for talks.
"The referendum must be annulled and dialogue initiated in the framework of the constitution. We will never hold talks based on the results of the referendum," Abadi said.
However, Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) has said the vote will not lead to an immediate declaration of independence and should instead open the door to negotiations.