DUBAI, May 12 (Reuters) - Iran has expanded its definition of the Strait of Hormuz into a "vast operational area" far wider than before the Iran war, according to a senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy.

The strait is no longer viewed as a narrow stretch around a handful of islands but instead has been greatly enlarged in scope and military significance, said Mohammad Akbarzadeh, deputy political director of the IRGC Navy, the state-affiliated Fars news agency reported on Tuesday.

By Maya Gebeily, Maayan Lubell and Catherine Cartier

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, May 12 (Reuters) - While Washington and Tehran argue over a deal to end the attacks on shipping that are shaking the world economy, Iran's most powerful ally Hezbollah and Israel are stepping up a drone war in Lebanon - on camera - that is complicating the path to peace.

By Saud Mehsud

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan, May 12 (Reuters) - A massive blast at a crowded market in northwestern Pakistan killed nine people and wounded dozens more on Tuesday, the emergency services agency said, as the latest attack in the region threatens to reignite fighting with neighbouring Afghanistan.

The bomb blast at the crowded Naurang Bazar caused panic on the streets, as people rushed to help the wounded and emergency vehicles raced to the site.Visuals from the scene showed damaged shopfronts and a mangled vehicle.

Favourites Finland made it through the first Eurovision semi-final on Tuesday alongside Israel, whose participation saw five countries boycott the world's biggest live televised music event.

With blasts of dry ice and jets of flame, the Eurovision party got started inside the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, where 11,200 revved-up fans saw 15 acts battle for 10 places in Saturday's grand final.

Belgium upset the odds to make it through, with Croatia, Greece, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Serbia and Sweden also progressing.

By Joanna Plucinska, Elissa Darwish and Corina Pons

LONDON/PARIS/MADRID, May 12 (Reuters) - Greg Abbott is planning his summer holiday with half an eye on the Iran war. He intends to stay closer to home in Europe and is lining up a plan B, wary of rising air fares and cancellations.

The 54-year-old Britain-based Australian is planning a cycling trip with friends in Austria, a festival in Barcelona and possibly a yoga retreat in France. But he doesn't want to go too far and is keeping travel options open.

The baby bouncing on Nesma's lap has his mother's smile and her curious eyes, but nothing she says of the three paramilitary fighters who gang raped her two years ago in Sudan's capital.

"I saw their faces. I remember them," the 26-year-old university graduate told AFP.

Baby Yasser is one of thousands of children born to rape survivors in the three years of fighting between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

By Dedi Hayun

JERUSALEM, May 12 (Reuters) - Israel's parliament passed a law late on Monday establishing a military tribunal to try hundreds of Palestinian militants who took part in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, a step lawmakers said would help heal national trauma.

The surprise attack, led by elite "Nukhba" force fighters from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, was Israel's deadliest single day and the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. At least 1,200 people were killed, most of them civilians.

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held separate calls with his Australian and British counterparts on Monday to discuss Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, the State Department said.

Here are some details:

• Rubio discussed "Iran and ongoing efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," the State Department said in separate statements after his calls with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

By Nandita Bose and Nayera Abdallah

WASHINGTON/DUBAI, May 12 (Reuters) - Hopes for a peace deal on Iran faded on Tuesday after Donald Trump said a ceasefire with Iran was "on life support" as Tehran rejected a U.S. proposal to end the conflict and stuck to a list of demands the U.S. president described as "garbage".

By Mei Mei Chu, Antoni Slodkowski and Trevor Hunnicutt

BEIJING, May 12 (Reuters) - A year ago, U.S. President Donald Trump predicted that towering trade tariffs would bring America's main economic rival to heel.

He heads to China this week with that ambition blunted by court rulings, narrowing his goals to a few deals on beans, beef and Boeing jets, and enlisting China's help to resolve his unpopular Iran war, political analysts say.